


Souls In Motion

by Synnerxx



Category: Marilyn Manson (Band), Megadeth, Professional Wrestling, Property Brothers RPF, Rob Zombie (Musician), World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Barebacking, Blow Jobs, Bodyswap, Curses, Dark Magic, Demons, Explicit Sexual Content, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, M/M, Mirror Universe, Mpreg, Multiple Orgasms, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Psychic Abilities, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Rituals, Shapeshifting, Soulmates, Spells & Enchantments, Supernatural Elements, Threesome - F/M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 21:01:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15894069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synnerxx/pseuds/Synnerxx
Summary: JD goes to sleep and everything is fine. He's in the body he's supposed to be in and in the reality he's supposed to be in. However, everything changes when he wakes up. Now he has to figure out where he is, why he's there, and how to get back to his own body and his own reality.





	Souls In Motion

**Author's Note:**

> this will make sense to probably one other person, but i worked hard on this and so i'm posting it. thanks to raven for the beta job. it wouldn't be this good without her. any mistakes here are my own.

JD is pretty sure he's dreaming still. He has to be, right? A person doesn't go to sleep six months pregnant and wake up not at all pregnant and in a completely different bed than the one he went to sleep in. He stays very still, breathing slowly, trying not to freak out. This is just a dream. That's all. Just a dream. 

Rob shifts next to him, tightening his grip on JD, while Sheri stretches out against his back. JD lays still and closes his eyes again, hoping when he wakes up again that he'll be actually awake and he can tell John about this dream and they can laugh. His dreams are always weird anyway. 

Sheri gets up and goes to the bathroom and Rob presses against JD, grumbling as he wakes up. JD stays still, waiting to wake up. This is just a dream. Right? JD shifts and pinches the soft skin on the inside of his arm hard, biting his lip to hold in a yelp. 

Rob blinks his eyes open and nudges JD a little. “S’matter, Sugar?”

JD opens his eyes and looks at Rob. “Uhm. Why am I in bed with you?”

“Because you went to bed with us. Like you always do.” Rob arches an eyebrow. 

“What? No. Last time we talked, you weren't even sure you wanted to be with me again after what I told you about John.” JD blinks in confusion. 

“What does John have to do with anything?” Rob looks just as confused as JD feels. 

“Never mind. Doesn't matter. This is all a dream anyway. You can't go to sleep pregnant and wake up not pregnant. That's not a thing.” JD shakes his head. 

“Sugar, did you take something or drink something last night?” Rob asks slowly, looking a bit concerned. 

“No! I'm pregnant. Or I was. I wouldn't take anything to hurt her.” JD’s hands drop instinctively to his stomach, frowning when he feels how flat it is now. 

“Sugar….men can't get pregnant. And, unless you need to tell me something, you're a man.” Rob stares at JD. 

Sheri comes back from the bathroom and smiles at them. “Good morning, darlings.” She takes a closer look at their expressions. “What's the matter?”

“No, no. I'm six months pregnant. You know this. Winter is due in December.” JD explains desperately. 

Sheri blinks and looks at Rob. “I think you're confused, babe. Must have been a really vivid dream.” 

JD breathes slowly, trying not to get worked up. “Where's John? He'll tell you.”

Rob shrugs one shoulder. “Probably with Matt at their house, I'd assume.”

JD looks even more confused. “Why is he living with Matt?”

“Because they're married....? I don't understand, JD. Is this some prank you're pulling? ‘Cause, if so, you're a damn good actor. But I already knew that.” Rob chuckles. 

JD shakes his head. “No, he and I are married. Have been since March. See?” He holds up his left hand and stares at the place where his engagement and wedding rings should be. He checks his right hand and finds his promise ring missing too. 

Rob blinks at him again. “What am I looking at here, Sugar? ‘Cause I assure you, you're definitely not married to J5.”

Sheri climbs back on the bed and pets JD's hair softly. “I think he's just confused. Must have been one hell of a dream.”

“Where…..where are my rings?” JD stares at his hands, feeling on the verge of tears. 

Rob sighs. “Okay, JD. This was kind of funny in the beginning. It's getting old now. So stop.”

Sheri frowns at Rob a little and keeps petting JD. 

“I don't…..I'm not…..” JD takes a deep breath. “I need a minute.” He gets up and goes to the bathroom, closing the door behind him, leaning against the vanity, staring down into the sink. His thoughts chase each other around in his mind, swirling with confusion. He doesn't know what's going on. This just has to be a dream. Or else he's losing his mind. Or this is some seriously elaborate prank his brothers are pulling on him, but you can’t make someone suddenly be unpregnant, even for a prank. He's not pregnant; he's not married to John. He doesn't know what's going on. 

He blinks, a thought occurring to him, and straightens up, pushing down his boxer-briefs a little, looking at his hip. His 5 tattoo isn't there. He stares at the RZ and SMZ lettering on his hip, tears filling his eyes. He looks at his arms, both the Aramaic and Farsi tattoos are gone as well. He whimpers, tears spilling down his cheeks, praying this is just a dream. One that keeps getting worse as it goes on. He just wants to wake up. He sinks to the floor against the vanity. He doesn't understand what's going on. 

Rob knocks on the door. “Sugar, you okay?”

JD buries his face in his hands, unable to answer, trying not to sob. He's freaking out and he doesn't know how to handle this. 

Rob comes into the bathroom and frowns, kneeling with JD and gathering him into his arms. “I'm sorry, Sugar. I didn't mean to snap at you.”

JD just shakes in his arms, confused and overwhelmed, not even sure this is a dream anymore. The longer it goes on, the surer he is that this isn't a dream and he isn't gonna wake up from it. 

Rob frowns more. “Sugar, what's wrong? Why're you so upset?”

JD clings to Rob, feeling like everything is upside down and just wrong. 

“Talk to me, Sugar. What's going on? Did you have a nightmare or something?” Rob asks, sounding worried. 

JD shakes his head and works on calming down, scrubbing his hands over his face. Clearly, something is wrong. This isn't a dream. Or if it is, then it's the most realistic dream JD's ever had. If it's not, then JD doesn't know what's going on, what alternate reality he's somehow ended up in. He needs to figure how to get back to his own reality. Or how to wake up. 

Rob presses soft kisses to the side of JD's face, worried and wondering what's going on. “Sugar….”

JD's glad that at least that is the same, his pet name from Rob. It helps calm him down and he sighs heavily. “I'm fine.”

“Are you sure? You're freaking out pretty bad.” Rob rubs his back. 

JD nods. “Yeah. Just….just a nightmare, I guess. Got confused. I'm sorry.”

“You wanna tell me about it?” Rob asks. 

JD shakes his head. “No, I'm okay.”

Sheri knocks on the bathroom door and pokes her head in. “Everything okay?”

JD offers her a small smile. “Yeah, I'm okay.”

Rob looks up at her and nods a little, glancing down at JD. “Yeah, I guess. He said it was just a bad dream.”

Sheri nods, still looking a bit concerned. “If you're sure….”

JD pulls away from Rob and stands up. “Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay.”

Both of the Zombies look unconvinced, but Rob gets up from the floor, giving JD one last searching look before nodding and leaving the bathroom with Sheri. 

JD turns to face the mirror, staring at his reflection. He sighs and looks down at his arm again, rubbing at the red spot on his forearm and then pinches himself again, just to be sure. He doesn't wake up. He’s still standing in the bathroom. He turns on the tap and splashes water on his face and looks at himself again. This world is off, wrong. It's not his. It's got all the right people, but they're not his people. They’re like a remake version of themselves. Similar enough to be familiar, but not exactly the same as the original.

He doesn't know what's going on, where he is, or how he gets back to his world. He doesn't even know how he got to this one in the first place. It's an alternate world. Some sort of String Theory related shit that he can't explain. He grabs a towel from the rack and dries his face. 

He drops the towel on the counter and sighs, knowing he can't hide out in the bathroom forever. That won't help him get home. He slips out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, looking at Sheri and Rob as they fall silent abruptly on the bed. 

“You sure you're okay?” Sheri asks softly. 

JD forces a smile. “Yeah. I'm okay. Just a really vivid dream. Like you said.”

Rob opens his mouth to say something, but Sheri shoots him a warning look and he frowns and then shakes his head a little. “Okay. Well, let’s go get breakfast since we’re all up. I’m starving.”

Sheri gets up and heads out of the room, tying her robe around herself. Rob looks at JD like he wants to ask him something, but he just follows Sheri out of the room after a moment. JD sighs and picks up something that looks kind of like his clothing from the floor and slides into the tshirt and shorts. He picks up his phone from the nightstand and holds his thumb on the home button, staring at a lock screen that isn’t his, because his is a picture of his and John’s pets, and this one is a picture of Rob onstage. The home screen, a picture of John kissing his cheek, has been replaced with a picture of him and the Zombies smiling at the camera, arms around each other. At least the time and date make sense to him.

He locks his phone again and walks down the hall to the kitchen, finding Sheri making breakfast and Rob sitting at the island, reading something on his tablet. JD cautiously sits down next to Rob. Rob gives him a smile and pushes over a coffee mug to him and JD takes it gratefully because he’s already been through too much and he hasn’t even had coffee yet. How can he be expected to figure out how to get home without coffee? 

“So how is the wedding planning going for Drew and James?” Sheri asks, glancing over her shoulder at JD.

JD nearly chokes on his coffee because he’s pretty sure Drew is not marrying James because he’s marrying Chris in March. He reminds himself that this is not his world. He swallows his mouthful of coffee and chokes out an answer. “Uhm, it’s going okay. You know how Drew is.”

Sheri nods, accepting his answer. “Yeah, he’s got to have everything just so. Not that I blame him. It’s his wedding after all.”

“Right.” JD nods, wrapping his fingers around the coffee mug. 

“Hetfield’s got his hands full with that twin.” Rob chuckles, tapping at his tablet screen.

JD manages a weak laugh and then picks up his phone, opening his Twitter app, scrolling through his recent tweets. They sound like things he would post, but he has no memory of writing them. His handle is wrong too, no longer @MrJDLowery. It’s still @MrJDScott. He switches to his Instagram and finds more of the same, pictures he didn’t take and doesn’t remember, a lot of them with either Rob or Sheri or both of them with him. The handle is again wrong. He doesn’t bother checking Facebook, knowing it’ll be the same as the other two apps. Posts that sound like him, but ones he didn’t make. 

He scrolls through the camera roll on his phone, pausing on one of him and John. They’re smiling at the camera, standing next to each other, but not even touching. They look like strangers in the same picture compared to their usual poses with their arms around each other and it makes JD’s heart ache. He scrolls more and finds pictures of him kissing Rob or Sheri, them at dinner together, them cuddled in bed together. All of it shows him a life that isn’t his even though he’s in the pictures most of the time. 

Well, he supposes this life is his. Just a different version of himself. One that hooked up with the Zombies and never married John. He wonders suddenly, if Drew isn’t with Chris in this world, then is Jonathan still with Dave? It’s bad enough that Drew and Chris aren’t together, worse still that he isn’t with John, but a world without Jonathan and Dave being together? That seems unnatural and he can’t even begin to imagine that. 

He opens his texts and scans through the recent messages to his brothers. The conversations sound like himself and Drew and Jonathan, but again, he didn't write them. There are details that are off - like the lack of mention of any of their children, Drew mentioning James instead of Chris, him talking about the Zombies instead of John. Luckily, he’s able to figure out that Jonathan is still with Dave in this reality and that thought comforts him. At least there are some things that won’t ever change. 

He blinks as Sheri puts a plate of food in front of him and puts his phone down. “Thanks.”

Sheri smiles at him, serving Rob next. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

He eats in silence, listening to Rob and Sheri discuss the plans for the day. Matt and John are supposed to come over later and hang out. The thought of seeing John and knowing that he’s not his John makes him ache. Then he wonders if Azephus exists in this reality. Maybe the demon would know how to get him back to his own world and out of this one. But how to talk to John about it? And what if Azephus doesn’t exist in this world? What if he does and the JD that’s supposed to be here doesn’t know about him? What if he angers Azephus?

“You sure you’re okay, Sugar? You sure are quiet.” Rob nudges him gently with an elbow.

JD forces a smile. “Yeah, just trying to get over the dream, you know?”

Rob nods and leaves him be, thankfully. JD returns to picking at his breakfast, half-listening to Rob and Sheri, wondering what happens if he’s stuck here. He wonders what’s going on in his reality, the one he’s supposed to be in, if the JD that’s supposed to be here is now there. He wonders if John can tell something’s up. Although JD supposes that, as traumatic as going to sleep six months pregnant and waking up not pregnant, it would be equally traumatic going to bed not at all pregnant and waking up six months pregnant. Especially if you’re from a world where men can’t get pregnant at all. He prays Winter will be okay in the other him. Just for a little while until he figures out how to get back home.

He rubs at his belly, weirded out by how flat it is, used to feeling Winter roll and kick and squirm and feeling nothing now. 

He lets Sheri take his plate and drinks some of his coffee. 

“Are you ready for some yoga or did you want to skip it this morning?” Sheri asks, looking at him with some concern in her eyes.

JD almost turns her down, but then nods, thinking some yoga will help settle him a little more and clear his head. He finishes off his coffee and rinses his mug, putting it in the dishwasher with the rest of the breakfast dishes, and follows Sheri to change into their workout clothes. Rob decides to come with them this morning, just for the show, he says. Sheri laughs and swats at him. 

They move out onto the back patio and JD finds comfort in the familiarity of his yoga routine, which he assumes is the same here when it doesn’t get any comments or weird looks. He stretches his muscles out and then goes through the poses, warming himself up, feeling himself letting go of the tension. They’ve been at it for a little over an hour when the back door opens and Matt and John appear. 

JD isn’t expecting this, even though he knew John was coming over. There’s nothing left of their bond. There’s no awareness in the back of his mind of John’s thoughts and feelings. He knows this isn’t his John, this version isn’t his soulmate. Still, seeing him walk hand in hand with Matt, makes JD’s heart ache sharply in his chest. He aches for their bond, for John’s voice in his head, for the love they share flowing between them. There’s nothing. They sprawl out on the patio furniture; Rob, Sheri, Matt, and John talking with ease.

John gives him a friendly smile, nothing like his usual loving smiles reserved only for him. It feels weird to hear John call him JD and not Tigger or Tig and JD swallows harshly, fighting back tears. He looks away, not even listening to the banter of the other four as they talk. 

John notices his odd behavior and touches his arm. “Hey, are you okay?”

Rob snickers. “You should tell him about your dream, Sugar. About how you were married to him.” 

John smiles, looking amused. “You dreamed about being married to me?”

“Trying to steal my man, JD?” Matt giggles from the other side of John.

JD looks at John for a moment and it’s all so wrong, the way he looks at him, the way he says his name, everything is so wrong and JD feels like someone’s reached into his chest and is squeezing his heart. 

John doesn’t love him here. This isn’t his John. It’s still John, still the same person in broad strokes, but it’s not his John. Just like he isn’t this John’s Tigger either.

JD musters up a smile. “Yeah, weird, huh?”

There’s a flicker of something in John’s eyes as he studies JD for a moment before he chuckles. “Indeed. I don’t think Rob and Sheri would appreciate it much if you married me, considering…..”

Sheri elbows John in the ribs, giving him a warning look to shut him up.

“Considering what?” JD asks, tilting his head. 

“Nothing!” Rob says a little too fast.

JD blinks and shrugs, figuring he has bigger problems to deal with than whatever Rob and Sheri are plotting. Besides it doesn’t really involve him anyway. He’s not theirs. Not the right version. 

His phone chimes his email tone and he picks it up, opening the app, trying to ignore the wrong background. There’s the usual business emails and personal ones and then a suspicious one without a subject or a return email. 

_Hey,_

_I don’t know if this will work, I don’t know if it’ll even go anywhere, but hopefully it gets to you. The other ones I tried to send all came back to me with an error message. By now, you’ve probably figured out that you’re in the wrong world or reality or whatever. If you haven’t, well, you are and you will soon. But if you woke up not pregnant since I woke up pregnant (which WTF????) then you know. You’re in my body and I’m in yours. How’s that for some Freaky Friday shit, huh?_

_Anyway, I’d really like to get back to my reality and my body and I’m sure you’d like to do the same. Problem is, I don’t know how to do that because I don’t even know how we got mixed up in the first place._

_John doesn’t know either, but he knows I’m not the right JD. He figured it out like immediately. I don’t know if the Zombies will notice if you can play along long enough. There’s something weird about this John. Besides the obvious. I can’t quite put my finger on it. But he doesn’t seem quite human? Which I know, sounds stupid as fuck, but well. He doesn’t._

_The only thing I can think of to tell you is talk to Dave. He’s bound to know something. He always does. He’ll probably know you’re not the right JD. Psychics, you know? They always know things they probably shouldn’t._

_Don’t worry. I’ll keep your bun baking in the oven. John’s watching me like a hawk anyway._

_Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do._

_-The other JD_

JD blinks and reads the rambling email his other self has apparently sent him twice more and then glances up, feeling John’s gaze on him. 

He stares back at John for a moment before he speaks. “What?”

“Nothing.” John shakes his head and turns away from him.

JD bites his lip, wanting so badly to just hug John, bury his face in John’s neck, and breathe in his familiar and comforting scent, but he can’t do that here. Instead he leans against Rob’s side, Rob automatically wrapping an arm around him, and it brings him a little bit of comfort. He loves Rob, even if this isn’t his Rob.

John keeps studying him out of the corner of his eye, but he doesn’t say anything else directly to him. JD doesn’t ask either, opening his texts to Dave and sending him a message, asking if they can meet up and talk later on in the day.

JD keeps looking down at his yoga pants, picking at the fabric, not wanting to watch John and Matt being all loving and affectionate towards each other. It just drives home the fact that John doesn’t love him. John isn’t his husband. He wonders again if Azephus exists here and looks up at John again, meeting his dark eyes. John doesn’t look away, another flash of something flickering in his eyes. Then his attention is shifted back to Matt as Matt says something and John laughs, kissing Matt’s cheek.

JD sighs and turns away from them. He wonders if he should show Rob or Sheri the email. He wonders if they would even believe him or think it was just some prank he’s trying to pull on them, a continuation of this morning’s antics. His phone chimes with his text tone and he reads the message from Dave, inviting him over for lunch so they can talk like JD wants. He sends another message, agreeing, and then excuses himself into the house to go get ready, waving off Sheri’s concern and Rob’s confusion when he tells them he’s going out for a little while. He can feel John’s eyes on him as he heads back into the house, but he doesn’t look at him and doesn’t say anything else.

He wanders through the house, unsure if he lives here or if he’d stayed the night. He goes back to the bedroom and checks the closet after a moment’s hesitation, not liking to go through other people’s stuff, but needing to change out of his work out clothes. He finds some shirts he recognizes and a pair of jeans. He changes quickly, noting that it does look like he lives with the Zombies and how did that even happen anyway? 

He finds a pair of his Converse in the bottom of the closet between a pair of Sheri’s sandals and Rob’s boots and it’s so domestic and just speaks to what a couple they all are. Or trinity? Trio? Triad? He doesn’t know. He shoves his shoes on and ties them quickly, heading back into the living room to the front door. He pauses there, looking the three sets of keys over before grabbing one he knows is his own, minus the John 5 keychain he has in his reality and plus a Zombie one in this reality. 

Thankfully, his car is still the same one it is in his reality. He’s still trying to work out what seems to have changed and what has stayed the same. This reality doesn’t seem to be a complete opposite of his own, just details have been changed. Some major and some minor. He drives to the twins’ house, hoping it’s still theirs and relieved when he recognizes their cars in the driveway. He parks and gets out, walking up to the front door, flipping through his keys for the one to their house and lets himself in. 

The house looks fairly similar to his own reality. A few decor pieces have changed, some of the furniture are different colors. It’s nothing he can’t deal with, but it is odd to see Drew cuddled up to James on the couch instead of Chris. 

“Hey, JD. I didn’t know you were coming over.” Drew looks over at him. 

James nods to him, smiling a little. JD wonders suddenly if they’ve slept together in this reality too.

“Yeah, I needed to talk to Dave about something.” JD says, glancing around for him.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Dave says, coming in from the backyard.

JD turns to look at Dave and finds Dave staring at him with narrowed eyes. “What?”

Dave frowns and shakes his head, gesturing JD with him as he heads into the kitchen, getting a couple of bottles of water out of the fridge and sitting down at the island. 

JD sits across from him and catches the water when Dave slides it to him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you're not the right JD, are you?” Dave opens his water and takes a drink. 

JD pauses. “No.”

Dave nods. “Your energy is off. Different. Not by much. But enough to be sensed. You’re in the right body, but everything else is different. Your mind and personality; your soul. Who else knows?”

“Knows that I'm not supposed to be here? Just you. Maybe John. He came over this morning and kept staring at me for some reason. It’s weird because he’s not my husband here.” JD fiddled with his bottle, spinning it between his hands. 

“Makes sense that he would know. He's part demon or demon hybrid. Whatever they're called.” Dave shrugs. 

JD blinks, having his suspicions confirmed. “Demon?”

Dave nods. “Yeah. Don't ask me for details. I don't know much. Just what I've heard through the grapevine. Is he not a demon in your world?”

JD sighs and rubs his temples. “Yeah, he is. Whatever. I have more important things to deal with. Like how do I get back to my reality and get my body back?”

Dave looks thoughtful, shrugging off the comment about JD marrying a demon. “Well, how did you get here in the first place?”

“I don't know. I went to bed in my world and then woke up here. In this other JD’s body.” JD grumbles. 

“Yeah. The veils between worlds and realities and what have you are much thinner at night and in the dreamscape.” Dave explains. 

“So if I go to sleep tonight, provided I can sleep, will I just go home?” JD asks hopefully. 

Dave shrugs again. “Maybe. Maybe not. It's possible you were sent here for a reason and you have to figure out why.”

“What kind of reason?” JD frowns, picking at his water bottle label, shredding it. 

Dave takes a drink of his own water. “I don't know. My guess would be to learn some sort of lesson. Or fix a mistake. Or it's just a glitch in the matrix and things will right themselves.”

“How do I know which one it is?” JD chews his lip. 

“I'd assume if it were about teaching you something or fixing something, then it would be pretty obvious fairly soon.” Dave explains. 

“Well, I haven't gotten any kind of obvious clues. I don't think anyway.” JD frowns more. 

Dave nods. “You're smart. You'll figure it out if it something for you to learn or correct.”

“If it's not, what do I do?” JD gives Dave a worried look. 

“Wait for the matrix to right itself, I guess. Not much else you can do.” Dave pats JD's hand soothingly. 

JD gives him an imploring look. “Can't you cast a spell to send me back?”

Dave frowns and shakes his head. “No. It would be Dark Magic and the consequences would be way more extreme than just living here for a few days. To both of us.”

JD groans, knowing Dave is right. He puts his head down on the countertop and tries to just will himself back into the proper universe and timeline. 

“There is one more option.” Dave says after a moment of silence. 

JD picks his head up and looks at Dave. “There is? What is it?”

“Well, it’s not a good one. And you won’t like it.” Dave warns him.

“Just tell me already! I need to get back to my world.” JD squeezes his water bottle hard enough to crinkle the plastic. 

Dave sighs, choosing his words carefully. “Someone sent you here on purpose. For revenge or some other purpose. Most likely for revenge though.”

JD frowns deeply. “Revenge? But who would do that?” 

“You did marry a demon.” Dave reminds him. 

“Yeah, but…..” JD frowns more, chewing a thumbnail. 

“I can’t say for sure if that’s what happened, but it’s a possibility. The most likely of them.” Dave gives JD an apologetic look.

“How do I find out if someone has sent me here on purpose?” JD asks. 

Dave shrugs, holding his hands out. “I have no idea. I’d assume they’d wanna tell you themselves, so you might have to wait for them to appear if it is something like that.”

“What if it’s not though? What if I’m just stuck here for the rest of my life? Everything’s all wrong here. The only thing that’s right is you and Jonathan still being together. I guess you two really are so meant to be, it happens in every universe.” JD lays his head back down on the countertop.

Dave pets JD’s hair soothingly, unable to help smiling at his comment about him and Jonathan. “You’ll get back to where you’re meant to be eventually. In the meantime, I’ll help you out however I can.”

JD nods, relaxing a little bit, knowing Dave is going to help him. “Thank you. I’m sorry you always have to help me in some stupid way.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault. And I will always help you, babe.” Dave smiles at him.

“I guess that didn’t change either.” JD comments, smiling back at Dave.

“What didn’t change?” Dave arches an eyebrow.

“Your need to complete the set.” JD manages a soft laugh, still unhappy about the options Dave had laid out for him. 

Dave gives him a confused look. “What are you talking about?”

JD blinks. “You know. Sleep with all three of the Scott brothers? Complete the set?”

“I haven’t slept with you or Drew. I’ve only been with Jonathan.” Dave shrugs. 

JD frowns a little, disappointed and, surprisingly, a bit hurt. “Oh. How did you meet him?” 

“Needed some work done on my Fallbrook house and Pam recommended him to me. She watches all the shows.” Dave explains.

“Who is Pam?” JD feels even more confused. This reality sucks. He wants to go back to his own where things make sense. 

Dave arches an eyebrow. “She’s my ex-wife. Who is she in your reality?”

JD shrugs. “No one I know. In my reality, you met me at a concert you invited me to because you had some weird bet thing going with James. Then you followed me home and met the twins and hooked up with both of them. You were with David before them in my reality. I don’t know who Pam is in my reality. She doesn’t exist or well, probably she does, but has nothing to do with us.”

Dave looks shocked, taking all of this in. “Wow. That’s…..fucking weird.”

“Yeah. You know what else is weird? James and Drew are broken up and Drew is with Chris Adler and is going to marry him in March. I’m not with the Zombies. I married John 5.” JD peels more of his label off of his water bottle. 

“Chris Adler? From Lamb Of God? He’s married and got a kid here, I think. Last I heard anyway.” Dave glances over at James and Drew on the couch as they watch tv. 

“You mean he didn’t play on Dystopia for you?” JD asks, looking surprised.

“What’s Dystopia?” Dave looks back at JD.

JD looks even more surprised. “The most recent album Megadeth put out. Chris played drums on it for you guys.”

“The most recent album Megadeth has put out is called The Blood Of Glory. Adler didn’t play drums on it. Dirk did since he’s, you know, the drummer for Megadeth.” Dave takes a drink of his water.

“Man, this is all so fucked up and weird and I hate it.” JD groans, laying his head down again.

Dave chuckles. “I’d imagine so.”

“I can’t tell what’s going to be different and what’s not and it’s just different enough to feel wrong and be weird, but it still kind of feels like home. But you’re missing kids and that’s weird. Everything is weird and not in a good way.” JD presses his forehead harder against the marble island top.

“I have kids? With who?” Dave asks, looking curious.

“Jonathan.” JD mumbles. 

Dave smiles. “We adopted? We’ve been kind of tossing the idea around as an in the future type of thing.”

“No. You knocked Jonathan up shortly into your relationship.” JD still doesn’t pick his head up.

Dave looks completely confused. “What? Men can’t get pregnant. Unless he’s one of them trans people in your reality. Is he? I mean, I’d love him regardless. But I’m curious now.”

JD shakes his head against the island. “No. He was a born a guy. Is a guy. Has always been a guy. Just….some guys can get pregnant. It’s pretty rare, but some can.” 

Dave raises his eyebrows. “Wow. That’s…...that seems fake, but okay.”

JD shrugs. “It’s the truth. In my reality, I’m six months pregnant.” 

“With a demon baby?” Dave blurts out.

JD sniffs indignantly and then considers it. “Well, I guess, technically.”

“Is it like Rosemary’s Baby?” Dave asks, leaning closer to JD. 

“No. It’s a normal pregnancy. She’s a normal baby.” JD blinks back the sting of tears, wondering if he’ll ever get back to where he’s supposed to be. He misses feeling Winter move and kick. He wants to see her face for the first time and see John seeing her face for the first time too. 

“You hope.” Dave mumbles into the rim of his water bottle. 

JD doesn’t bother to respond. He swallows thickly, trying to force the lump in his throat away. He doesn’t want to cry here. This Dave isn’t his Dave. This Dave doesn’t love him. It’s all wrong. 

Dave lets the silence linger over them for a few minutes, studying JD and his energy, before finally breaking it. “Look, I’ll help you out as best as I can with getting you back to your world. I’d like the other JD back too. I’m sure it’s distressing to him to be in your world as it is for you to be in his. Especially if he’s pregnant.” 

JD nods in agreement and lifts his head, swiping at his eyes roughly. “Thanks. I suppose I should get going.” 

Dave doesn’t comment on the tears in JD’s eyes and just nods. “Okay. Text me if you figure anything out and I’ll do the same.” 

“Okay. Where’s David, do you know?” JD asks, thinking that talking to David couldn’t hurt. He’d understand and he’d give JD advice. 

“Yeah, he’s in Brazil with Kiko. They’re on their honeymoon.” Dave nods, smiling.

JD stares at him. “Honeymoon? With Kiko?” 

Dave nods again. “That’s what I said.”

JD just heaves a sigh and gets to his feet. “Thanks. I’ll see you around.” 

Dave gives him a look of mild concern, but lets him go without saying anything about it. “Sure.”

JD heads for the front door, waving to Drew and James on the couch as he leaves. He gets in his car and sits in the driveway for a long moment, staring down at his steering wheel. Something's got to give. He’s going to go crazy if he stays here much longer. It’s too strange. It’s got all the right people, but nothing else is right. 

He starts his car and backs out of the driveway, heading for the house that’s his in his reality out of sheer instinct, lost in his thoughts about how to try and get back to his reality. He’s pulling up into the driveway when he realizes this probably isn’t his house anymore. He stares up at it. It still looks the same, at least from the outside. 

He gets out of the car and looks around, making sure there’s no one watching him in case he looks suspicious. He goes up to the front door and hesitates, wondering if he should knock or just try a key. He decides to knock first because this might not be his house here. He knocks loudly, waiting for a minute or so. There’s nothing but silence on the other side of the door. He rings the doorbell and waits. Again, nothing but silence. 

He searches through his keys, some he recognizes - or thinks he does - and some he doesn’t, before picking one out that looks like his house key, putting it in the lock and twisting, pleased when the door opens for him. He steps inside and wrinkles his nose at the musty smell. It’s clear that no one lives here. No one’s even been inside in a while, judging by the layer of dust on the floor that gets stirred up when he walks, making him sneeze.

He walks into the house, nodding slowly to himself. There’s no furniture, none of his pictures and posters on the walls. It’s just the empty house. He walks around the downstairs and then heads upstairs to the bedrooms, going into his first. There’s nothing in here either. Nothing in the closet or the bathroom. It’s just empty and barren. 

He finishes checking out the rest of the house and ends up back in the living room. He runs a hand along the mantle over the fireplace and pulls out his phone when it rings, seeing “Bob” at the top of the screen. He silences the ringer, but doesn’t send it to voicemail, letting the call end on its own. He sees several missed texts and calls from both Rob and Sheri, but he doesn’t bother even listening to the voicemails. He feels a little guilty for it, but he can’t deal with them right now. He’s not the right JD and he doesn’t think he can keep the charade going for much longer anyway. 

He doesn’t know what they know of John and demons and whatever else he would need to explain to them to get them to believe him in the first place. All of that talking and explaining sounds exhausting to him anyway. He goes out onto the back patio and is relieved to see the chaise lounge still there. He lays down on it, silencing the ringer on his phone, and tucks his arms underneath his head. It’s getting darker now, thankfully. The air is cooling down and there’s a nice breeze. He closes his eyes and wonders if just falling asleep would be enough to send him home. Maybe it’s like Dave suggested - there really was just a glitch in the matrix.

He’s dozing off, drifting in that space between awake and asleep, when there’s a crushing pressure on his chest. He feels like he can’t breathe at all, like something is suffocating him under some kind of massive weight. He opens his eyes, terror shooting through him as he finds he can’t move at all, and stares straight into two glowing red eyes. 

There’s a woman sitting on his chest, a snarl on her face. Her teeth are far too long and sharp to be human. Her eyes are red and there’s fire flickering in their depths. JD stares up at her helplessly, unable to move, utterly terrified. He makes a soft, choking noise, trying to scream. The woman bares her teeth again and hisses, one hand streaking out lightening fast, nails clawing the side of JD’s face. They’re sharp as knives as they rake across his cheek.

Pain explodes across his cheek, warm blood dripping down his face. There’s four scratches on his cheek and they burn like fire. JD tries to scream again, but he can’t even draw in a breath. The woman glares hatefully down at him and then moves off of JD, standing over him now instead of on him. He still can’t move or breathe and his terror is ramping up into hysteria.

She starts to speak, but it’s in Aramaic. That much JD knows, but he still has no idea what she’s saying. He can barely hear her over the pounding of his heart in his ears. He keeps trying to move his arms, his head, anything. He’s going to pass out any minute, he’s sure of it. His lungs are screaming in agony because he can’t breathe. The woman, demon, monster, whatever she is, keeps on talking. Her voice is low. The cadence is almost a chant. JD doesn’t care at all. He just wants to be able to breathe. 

This is it. This is how he dies. Not peacefully in his sleep in John’s arms. In a world he doesn’t belong in with some demon woman murdering him for who knows what. He stares up at the sky, knowing this is going to be the last thing he ever sees, still trying to gasp for breath. 

There’s a crash and suddenly he can breathe. He sucks in a huge breath, gasping and coughing, panting harshly as he tries to soothe the burning in his lungs. He can move again too. He scrambles off the chaise lounge and ducks behind it, still coughing. There are sounds of a struggle, demonic yells and screams. He peers around the edge of the chaise lounge and his eyes widen as he sees Azephus pinning the woman against the wall with one clawed and scaly hand. 

JD watches as he speaks angrily to her in Aramaic, voice as inhuman as it gets. He whimpers in fear and cowers back against the lounger. He takes a quick inventory of himself, finding himself mostly whole except for the four scratches along his cheek. 

There’s another shriek from the demon woman, wings bursting out of her back as her true form emerges. She backhands Azephus across the face, knocking him back a few steps. If it hurts, he doesn’t show it as he growls and lunges for her again. She dodges, moving impossibly fast, sending Azephus crashing through the wall of the house. She turns her attention back on JD and JD shoves himself to his feet, taking off for the side gate. He’s almost made it when he’s jerked backwards, her hand clenched around a fistful of his shirt. He yelps, struggling against her, but it’s no use. She’s impossibly strong and there’s no way he can free himself from her grasp. She flings him backwards and he sails through the air, pulled off of his feet.

He lands hard on his back on the concrete of the patio, the wind knocked out of him again. Pain shoots through his back and ribs and he’s pretty sure he’s cracked something. He gasps for air, heaving in a gulping lungful as the demon woman pounces on him again. Before she can land on him, Azephus is there, tackling her out of the air. 

He rolls onto his side and manages to sit up with a wince as the demons fight with each other. The demon woman flings Azephus off of herself, getting to her feet and stretching out her impressive wings, beating them furiously for a moment. JD stumbles in the wind that she kicks up, having pushed himself to his feet. He wants to help Azephus, but he’s definitely not getting in between two demons. This isn’t even his real body anyway. He’s just test driving this model. He’s not gonna get it all crashed up. Not to mention, he’s already bruised and bleeding. He has no desire to be broken too.

He turns to stumble back to the house, intending on escaping through the front door, but as soon as he gets the sliding glass door open, it’s being slammed shut in his face. He narrowly avoids getting his fingers stuck in the door, jumping back with a startled yelp. 

“Where do you think you’re going, human?” The demon woman addresses him in English, her voice even more inhuman than Azephus’. 

“I uhm….fuck…..” JD actually gulps in fear as he presses himself against the glass door, watching her advance on him. He wonders where Azephus is, not daring to take his eyes off of this demon to scan the yard for him.

She gets closer and closer to him, raising one clawed hand towards him, clearly intending to wrap it around his neck when Azephus appears behind her. “Astarte, stop! What is the meaning of this?”

She freezes, glaring hatefully at JD once more. “If he’s dead in every timeline, in every reality, then you will love me!”

“Jeez, how many of me have you killed?” The words are out of JD’s mouth before he can stop them. 

She hisses, fangs growing longer. JD shrinks back against the door as she gives him a look that clearly says she’d love to rip his throat out, and maybe his heart too, and have it for a snack.

“None. She’s never been successful. Because I have always stopped her. So why do you keep trying, Astarte?” Azephus growls, reaching out and grabbing a fistful of her hair. He yanks her back and she screeches in fury. 

“He must die! Let me go this instant! I have to kill him!” Astarte beats her wings at Azephus, but he calmly slices through each wing joint at the top of her shoulders, rendering them useless as they trail behind her on the ground, unable to move now. 

She howls in pain, blood pouring out of the wounds. JD winces, but doesn’t feel much sympathy for her. She tried to eat him. He’s not sympathetic to those that want to eat him. Azephus tosses her to the ground at his feet. “Who sent you?”

“No one sent me.” She pants, staring up at Azephus. There’s a different look to her now. Gone is the hateful creature that had just tried to murder JD and, in her place, is something trying to be sweet and benign. She presses against Azephus’ legs, staring up at him longingly. “I have to get rid of him. For you, Azephus. So you are no longer tied to this worthless human. So you can be with me and we can rule together!”

Azephus sneers down at Astarte, lifting a boot and pressing it against her chest, shoving her firmly backwards, sending her sprawling. “I have no desire to rule or do anything else with you, Astarte. What makes you think I’d ever want to?” 

She thrashes on the ground as he plants his boot on the center of her chest, pinning her in place. “Because you said! You said I could help you!”

Azephus shakes his head. “I told you that you could serve me. Be a minion. Nothing more. You aren’t worth all of this to me and I certainly will not let you touch one hair on his head.” 

“He’s the worthless one! He’s a pathetic human! What use could he have to you, Azephus? We could destroy this world and rebuild it the way it was meant to be. We could rule together and be great. Demons would no longer have to live in the shadows, sulking away and hiding ourselves from humans.” She spits the word ‘human’ out as if it burns her tongue. 

“Many of us live quite well among the humans you so hate, Astarte. Why can’t you find your own place like we have?” Azephus asks, tilting his head down at her. 

JD keeps himself pressed against the door, wanting no part of any of this. He doesn’t care why she’s here or where she goes as long as she’s not going to attack him again. He’ll find all that out later from Azephus. This is too many demons in one place for his liking. He keeps still, hoping he doesn’t draw attention to himself. Even this Azephus is unpredictable to him and he has no idea what he’s like here in this reality. He doesn’t have the protection of Dave’s spell on him here, seeing as how this isn’t his actual body. Or the right body for him. He’s not keen on repeating any of this and so he keeps himself still and small as he can, praying to every deity he can think of that they won’t hurt him more. 

“Because humans are filthy, disgusting creatures. They are worth nothing to me and to any self-respecting demon. Why should I pander to them when they’re weak and powerless against me? I can kill them all if I so choose.” Astarte curls her fingers around Azephus’ ankle, but doesn’t push him off. 

Azephus presses down harder on her chest. “But you won’t because that would bring war down on all of us. And you’d be target number one for both sides.” 

Astarte sucks in a heaving gasp. “It would be worth it if it meant I never had to deal with another human again!” 

Azephus growls. “I’ve had enough of you.” He kneels down and presses a hand to her forehead. Fire erupts from around his hand, searing into her flesh. She screams, the sound full of rage and pain, until the fire consumes her, leaving nothing but ashes that blow away with one flap of Azephus’ wings. 

JD keeps his eyes on Azephus warily, not trusting him any more than he’d trusted Astarte. Azephus stares down at the ground where Astarte had been for a moment before looking up at JD. JD tenses up even more, reaching behind himself, intending on opening the back door and making his escape again. 

Azephus holds his hands up in a peaceful manner. “I’m not going to hurt you, JD.” 

“I don’t know that.” JD says, fingers fumbling for the handle of the door. 

Azephus keeps his hands up, nodding at the ground where Astarte was. “I killed one of my own to protect you.” 

“How do I know you don’t just want to kill me yourself?” JD bites his tongue after he says that. 

“I don’t. I assure you. I would never hurt you intentionally.” Azephus says soothingly. 

JD stares at him for a long moment before sighing and nodding. “Okay. What the fuck was that all about?”

Azephus comes over to JD, reaching up to grasp his chin and turn his head to the side, inspecting the claw marks left on his cheek from Astarte. “She thought that if she killed every version of you that exists that she and I would be together and take over the human realm. I’m not sure where she got such a twisted idea. Sounds like Mastema, honestly, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that she’s working with him. She wasn’t from this timeline either. Just like you aren’t, am I right?” 

JD tense right back up when Azephus touches him. “Can you fix that? And yeah, I got that much.” 

“No, I cannot heal it for you. Healing is of the Light. We cannot do that.” Azephus lets go of JD.

“Can you send me back to my reality then? I’m really over this one. Nothing’s right here.” JD complains, prodding at the skin around the cuts gingerly. 

“It’s difficult and will take some time. Someone sent you here on purpose. I will have to figure out who and why they wanted you here in this reality. I already have a few ideas in mind.” Azephus explains. 

“Great. So now I’m being Punk’d. By demons, no less.” JD scoffs, shaking his head. His life really is one big cosmic joke apparently. “Who’s on your list of suspects?”

“I don’t know what that means.” Azephus admits. “No one I can share with you just yet until I know what and who we’re up against. It’s better for you if you do not know.”

JD waves it off. “Nothing. Not important. How long with this take? For you to figure out all the shit you need to to send me back?”

“Several days at least. It’s a complicated process and involves a complicated ritual. Someone went through a lot of trouble to get you here.” Azephus tilts his head, considering JD. 

“I don’t care if they moved Mount Freakin’ Rushmore to get me here! I wanna go back!” JD takes a deep breath, trying to rein in his feelings. He feels like he’s about to burst into tears. He does his best to hold it in, gritting his teeth and holding his breath, counting slowly to ten in his head.

Azephus lets him compose himself before continuing. “Yes, I know. I know it’s incredibly disorienting for you to be here. Don’t worry. I will also wipe your memories of this experience. That way, nothing lingers and causes you more problems down the line.”

“Well, that’s something, I guess. I’d really rather not remember this place either. It’s just so fucking wrong.” JD shudders, turning and going into the house.

Azephus follows him. “You and your brothers are the only type of human that could withstand being in a different reality without completely losing your mind. Regular humans would have gone totally insane by now.”

“Oh, believe me. I feel like I’m two steps away from the edge.” JD grumbles, pulling out his phone to check the time, seeing more missed calls and texts from Rob and Sheri. 

“Are you okay to get home by yourself? Rob and Sheri don’t know anything about me. In fact, the you that’s supposed to be here doesn’t either.” Azephus gestures towards JD’s phone. 

“So wait, then. I thought we were tied together by the curse? Why aren’t we together?” JD paces around the bare living room, feeling so chaotic and out of control of everything that’s happening to him. 

“In your reality, that’s been the case for the last thousand years. When you are born into the reality that you are meant to be in, you stay in that reality for every lifetime. Meaning, unless someone intentionally sends you here like they have, you would never have gotten here on your own. Your soul is not meant to be here.” Azephus explains.

“Okay, okay. So, in my reality, every life I’ve ever lived has always been in that reality?” JD asks, still pacing. 

“Yes.” Azephus nods. 

JD nods to himself, holding in a sigh. “So I’m not even supposed to know this reality exists?” 

Azephus hesitates. “Well, yes and no. Humans have stumbled onto the concept with something I believe is called The String Theory. But they have no tangible proof of alternate realities and so some humans choose to believe in it and others don’t. But you aren’t supposed to know of specific realities and certainly, you are not meant to be in them.” 

JD stops and looks at Azephus. “So what’s it take to switch two versions of a person?”

“A spell, a ritual, and a lot of power.” Azephus answers, looking contemplative. 

“And who would want to fuck up my life so badly that they try to get rid of me in an alternate reality?” JD asks, reaching up to touch the cuts on his face again. 

“It wasn’t Astarte. She doesn’t - didn’t - have that kind of power. You, many versions of you, have made a lot of enemies of my kind. Especially the higher ups as it were. So I can think of several who could and would try this.” Azephus says mildly. 

JD closes his eyes and heaves a sigh. “Just fucking perfect. This is great. Amazing. Just what I wanted to hear when I got up this morning.”

Azephus tilts his head again at JD. “Don’t fret. I will figure this out and I will get you back to where you belong.”

JD opens his eyes, a little suspicious. “Why are you helping me?” 

Azephus smiles softly. “Demons aren’t like humans. We know the realities and we have an awareness of what goes on with the other versions of ourselves if we are powerful enough and choose to tap into those memories. And any version of myself is at least a little bit attached to you, JD. You have been mine in many lives, in many realities, for many years.”

JD relaxes a little, some of the tension bleeding out of him. “Well, at least there’s one thing that’s kind of the same.” 

Azephus nods, moving closer to JD. “Don’t worry. I will fix this.” He leans up on tiptoe and kisses JD’s uninjured cheek gently before stepping back. He glances at something over JD’s shoulder before he disappears in a swirl of dark smoke.

JD sighs and then jumps, startled by a meow from over by the back door. He looks over, spotting a black cat with blue eyes and smiles a little. “Here, kitty kitty.”

The cat comes over to him, rubbing against his legs, tail flicking back and forth. 

“What should I call you? Huh? What’s your name?” JD bends down and checks for a collar and doesn’t find one. “You don’t look like a stray. You’re too pretty and healthy looking to be a stray. Maybe you’re chipped. Huh? You got a family around here?” 

“I’ll call you Salem. You need a name for now. I’ll take you in for the night.” He decides after a moment of silence. “Do you like that?” 

Salem purrs and winds around JD’s ankles. JD sits down to pet him, scritching him just right behind his ears. “This is all so fucked up, Salem. How am I supposed to get home? I just wanna go home and not remember any of this. What if Az can’t figure it out and can’t send me back? What if I’m stuck here forever and ever where nothing makes sense and everything is all wrong? I mean, I love Rob and Sheri, but it’s not how it’s supposed to be. I miss John and Winter and I just wanna go home….” 

Salem crawls into his lap, gently headbutting his chest. JD cuddles him, stroking his soft fur, as Salem meows softly at him, seemingly trying to comfort him. It makes JD smile a little bit, sniffling as he wipes his eyes. “Yeah, you’re right. I need to get my head on straight and focus and trust that Az can work his demon magic and get me out of here.”

He startles again when his phone rings, Sheri’s name on the screen this time. He looks at his phone for a long moment, considering just not answering still and not going back to their place. But he can’t do that because what if he really is stuck here? He needs someone. And, even if they’re not the right Rob and Sheri, they still love him. Or at least a version of him. So it’s better than being on his own. 

He answers the phone just before the final ring. “Hello?” 

“Oh, thank fuck!” He can hear the relief in Sheri’s voice. 

“Did he really answer?” Rob’s voice asks in the background. 

“Yes. JD, where are you? What’s going on? Why haven’t you been answering our calls and texts? Are you okay?” Sheri’s rapid line of questioning breaks through his haze of self-pity and sadness. 

“At my….old house. It’s a long story. Yes, I’m alright.” JD answers them in order.

“You’ve had us worried sick! It’s not like you to just disappear like that and ignore us. Are you upset?” Sheri really does sound worried and JD feels bad.

“No, well…..not about anything you can fix. Don’t worry about it.” JD answers, petting Salem. 

Sheri hesitates and JD knows that she wants to ask more questions, but he also knows that she won’t pry. She prefers to let them come to her in their own time. “Well, are you coming home?” 

JD looks around the empty living room and figures he probably should if he wants a bed to sleep in. “Yeah, I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay. Be careful, baby. I love you.” Sheri sounds even more relieved about the fact that he’s going to come home. 

JD nods, even though she can’t see him. “I will. Love you too.”

It isn’t a lie; he does love Sheri. But it still feels wrong to say it to this version of Sheri in a way that he can’t really explain. He ends the call before she can say anything more. 

He scritches Salem’s ears again. “You wanna come home with me?” 

Salem looks up at him, ears flicking back and forth for a moment, before he meows again. He jumps out of JD’s lap and heads to the front door, sitting down and looking back at JD expectantly. 

JD laughs. “Okay, okay. I’m coming. Hold your horses.”

He opens the front door before remembering to go shut the back door. Salem darts out onto the porch, going to wait by JD’s car. JD locks the front door and heads out to the car with Salem. He smiles faintly and opens the passenger door to let him in. Salem jumps into the seat and sits down, folding his tail neatly over his paws. 

JD goes around and gets into driver’s side, starting the car and putting his seat belt on. He sits there for a moment, realizing he doesn’t remember if Rob’s place is the same one it is in his reality. He picks up his phone and opens Google Maps, taking a chance and typing in “Home” into the search box. The address that pops up is, thankfully, the same place and he backs out of the driveway, heading back to Rob’s place.

The trip is short and uneventful except for Salem crawling into his lap and putting his paws up on the steering wheel. JD lets him do it for the rest of the ride. He pulls into the driveway and puts the car in park, staring up at the house. There’s a light on in the living room and JD just knows they’re up and waiting for him. He almost puts the car in reverse and leaves again. 

Instead he takes a deep breath and turns the car off, getting out with Salem in his arms. He’s barely made it halfway up the path to the front door when it swings open and Sheri runs out to throw her arms around him. Salem meows as he’s squished between them and Sheri pulls back a bit. JD can easily read the worry in her eyes and he feels bad about that. Over her shoulder, he can see Rob standing in the doorway. 

“Are you okay? Who’s this?” Sheri asks, reaching to pet Salem. 

Salem allows it, rubbing against her hand, purring softly. 

“Yes, I’m fine. This is Salem. He’s my sorta cat.” JD says, exhaustion suddenly weighing on him. 

“‘Sorta’ cat? What does that mean?” Sheri looks confused, still petting Salem. 

“He might be a stray. I don’t know. He doesn’t have a collar, but he could be chipped. I don’t think he’s really a stray since he’s so clean and healthy looking.” JD explains, following Sheri up to the house.

Rob gives him a once over, frowning deeply at the cuts on his cheek. “What happened to your face, Shugga?”

Sheri gasps when she sees them. “Those look bad! You need to get stitches! What happened?!”

JD shakes his head and puts Salem down, letting him dart into the house to explore. “I don’t need stitches. It’s not even bleeding anymore.”

Sheri frowns in concern. “At least let me clean it up then.” 

“Okay.” JD nods, too tired to argue, and follows Sheri into their bedroom. She goes into the connecting bathroom and bustles around, getting the first aid kit from under the sink. She also wets a couple of wash clothes at the sink. 

JD watches her idly while Rob leans against the doorway. “Did the cat do that?” 

“Hmm? Oh. No.” JD shakes his head and then holds himself still while Sheri dabs the cloth around the cuts gently. He doesn’t elaborate, even though he can tell both Sheri and Rob want to know more.

He doesn’t know what to tell them. He wouldn’t believe it himself if someone came up and told him that they weren’t in the right reality, the right body. It just sounds insane. 

“You’re really quiet tonight.” Sheri murmurs, trying to get him to talk without putting pressure on him. 

“Don’t have much to say.” JD shrugs, knowing he’s not being fair to them by not explaining what’s going on, but he doesn’t know how. He doesn’t know how to explain this with any kind of articulation that won’t make him sound like he’s lost his mind completely. 

Salem pads into the bedroom and winds around JD’s ankles again, purring loudly. 

Rob looks at the cat, tilting his head. “It has weird colored eyes. Don’t black cats usually have yellow eyes?”

“He has weird colored eyes.” JD corrects, petting Salem as he jumps up onto his thighs. 

“I think he’s sweet.” Sheri smiles, putting a large square band-aid over the cuts. “There we go. That should be okay. I wish you’d go get stitches, but at least they’re clean and disinfected now.”

JD nods. “Thanks.”

Sheri kisses his other cheek and cleans up the trash. She goes back into the bathroom to wash her hands in the sink. Rob looks a little annoyed by JD’s unwillingness to talk about what happened, but he doesn’t say anything either. He doesn’t like confrontation and likely doesn’t want it to devolve into an argument. 

JD gets up, carrying Salem into the kitchen. Rob follows him. 

“I think there’s some tuna in the pantry.” Rob says, sitting down at the island. 

“Aren’t you guys vegan?” JD looks a little surprised. 

“That’s why the tuna is yours.” Rob arches an eyebrow at him. 

JD nods slowly. “Right. Yeah.” He turns to the pantry and opens it, rummaging around for the can of tuna. He finds it and opens the top with the pull-tab, getting a little saucer out of the cabinet. He dumps it out onto the plate and breaks it up a little with a fork before putting it on the ground for Salem. He gets a bowl and puts some water in it, sitting that down beside the plate. 

Rob watches him silently. JD tries to ignore the way his eyes pierce into him, but he figures the less they know, the better. That way, there won’t be a demon sent after them to make sure they don’t remember what he’s told them or worse. 

“So you’re just not going to tell us what happened to your face and where you’ve been all day and why you weren’t answering us?” Rob finally breaks the silence. 

Sheri comes into the kitchen just then and frowns at Rob. “Rob! Leave him be.”

“What? I think it’s fair that we know. Something clearly has happened. He’s not acting like himself at all. You can’t tell me you’re not worried too.” Rob gestures at JD. 

JD shrinks a bit, leaning back against the counter, wrapping his arms around his torso. 

“He’ll tell us when he’s ready. Would you like some tea, dear?” The question is directed at JD with a smile. 

JD hesitates and then nods, letting Sheri shoo him to sit at the island while she makes tea for the three of them. Rob keeps staring at him, obviously not pleased that JD is hiding things from him, but he lets it drop for now. 

Sheri does her best to make conversation and to ignore the strained and awkward atmosphere that has settled over them with JD’s refusal to explain things. JD really tries to listen to her, but his mind keeps drifting back to Az and Astarte. He wonders if that’s all she wanted to kill him for, being with Az in other realities, but he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know what to believe. Az seems certain that she wasn’t the one that sent him here. She wasn’t strong enough to do it. 

That means there’s at least one other demon that has it out for him. He tightens his grip on the warm mug between his hands, glancing down as Salem rubs against his legs again. 

“That cat sure does love you.” Sheri remarks with a small smile on her face.

JD nods, leaning down to scritch Salem’s ears. “His name is Salem.”

“Is he a talking witch?” Rob cracks a smile around the rim of his mug. 

“Not yet. He hasn’t talked to me yet.” JD chuckles. 

Sheri gathers their mugs up and rinses them in the sink, putting them in the dishwasher. “Well, I think we should all get some sleep. It’s late and it’s been a long day.”

JD watches them get up and start to head back to the bedroom. Rob turns to look at him. “You coming to bed?”

JD hesitates for a moment longer before nodding and getting up, following them into the bedroom. 

Sheri slips into a nightie and Rob slips into some sleep pants. JD finds a pair of pants that looks like his and pulls them on. Neither of them comment or give him weird looks, so he figures that was the right move. 

They get into bed, kissing each other, before looking expectantly at JD, clearly leaving the spot in the middle open for him. He almost tells them he’s going to sleep on the couch, but he doesn’t want to disappoint or confuse them more, so he crawls into bed. 

They exchange quiet good nights with him, kissing him too, and he lets it happen. He still feels so out of place here in this world. This isn’t his world. He misses John’s arms around him, John calling him his sweet, soft Tigger. He misses feeling Winter kick and move more than anything in the world. He just wants to go home. His eyes sting with tears again, but he closes his eyes against them. He refuses to let them fall. 

He works to match his breathing to Rob’s, slow and even. Eventually he falls into a restless sleep. 

_“There you are, James Daniel. I’ve been waiting.” A voice speaks to him and JD looks around in the complete darkness._

_“Who’s there?” He’s pleased when his voice doesn’t shake, even though he feels terrified._

_“You don’t know me yet, but you will.” A laugh rings out, somewhat goofy instead of the evil one he expected._

_“How do you know my name?” JD demands._

_“I know everything about you.” The voice says, a note of amusement in it._

_“How do you know anything about me? Who are you?” JD tries desperately to see in the darkness. There’s nothing but black all around him._

_“Call it getting to know you. You’ll know me soon enough. Don’t worry, you do get put back in your reality. I know how this story ends.” The voice says as if it’s trying to comfort him._

_“Did you do this to me? Put me back! I don’t want to be here anymore!” JD demands._

_“No, I didn’t do this to you. But I know who did.” The voice sounds amused again._

_“Who?” JD asks, turning around again, as if he can see any better in the other direction._

_“You’ll find out soon enough. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.” The voice mocks him a little._

_The longer the voice talks to him, the more familiar it sounds. Something is poking his memory, but he can’t place it just yet. The accent is familiar, Irish, but he can’t think of who he knows with an Irish accent. “Just tell me who you are. Or put me back where I belong. Please. It’s all wrong here. I can’t deal with it anymore.”_

_“Sure, you can. It’s not for much longer anyway. Remember, I know how this story ends.” The voice sounds pleased with itself._

_JD opens his mouth to argue some more, but he’s cut off by another voice, speaking what sounds like Aramaic again. It sounds angry and JD shrinks in on himself a little. It doesn’t sound human, but there’s something familiar about this voice too. He can’t place it though, not with it speaking a different language._

_“Oops. Time to go, JD. I’ll see you again really soon.” The first voice says and JD wants to protest, wants to demand to be put back in his own reality, but the Aramaic continues, growing louder and angrier._

_He covers his ears, closing his eyes. Not that it makes much of a difference here in the darkness. Suddenly the voice falls silent._

_JD pants, opening his eyes and lowering his hands. He strains his ears, listening for any sound. He still can’t see through the blackness that surrounds him._

_“You pathetic human! You think you can tell me what to do? Take him away from me? Well, you’ve got another thing coming if you think I’m going to take that lightly! By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be praying for death to take you, so you’ll have an escape from me!” The voice thunders out over him and JD cringes, covering his ears again._

Then he opens his eyes.

He stares up at the ceiling, wide awake. He turns his head and looks at the alarm clock on Rob’s side of the bed. Its glowing red numbers tell him it’s 4:03 in the morning. He wants to get out of bed, but he doesn’t want to risk waking either of the Zombies up. He sighs softly to himself and closes his eyes, trying to get back to sleep and shake off the weird dream. He always has weird dreams when he’s stressed out. And he’s nothing if not stressed out right now.

He must have drifted off at some point because the next time he wakes up, he can hear Sheri and Rob’s soft voices talking. It takes him a moment to register what they’re saying. Rob’s moved to Sheri’s side of the bed and they’re both sitting up, her against the headboard and him facing her. JD opens his eyes a slit to be able to see them. He closes them again when Sheri turns her head and reaches to softly stroke his uninjured cheek. 

“I’m really worried. I know he has a tendency to just up and disappear sometimes, but he always answers us within a couple of hours.” Sheri is saying. 

“He’s been acting really weird ever since yesterday morning. That dream started all of this.” Rob agrees.

Sheri sighs and shifts on the bed. “Do you think it’s just the dream or something more?” 

“What do you mean?” Rob asks. 

“I mean, do you think he found about the ceremony somehow and doesn’t want to marry us?” Sheri sounds worried. 

JD contemplates life married to the Zombies and finds he would like that, if he weren’t already married to John and in the right reality. 

Rob is silent for a moment, clearly thinking this possibility over. “No, I don’t think so. He would talk to us about it if he had an issue with it. JD’s not the type to play weird games like this.”

“Well, if it’s not the ceremony, then what else? This can’t be all from some dream he had. He has weird dreams all the time.” Sheri pets JD’s hair again.

He wonders if the right JD would like being married to the Zombies. He assumes that he would since he figures that they wouldn’t ask without having some kind of knowledge that he would say yes. 

Rob shifts, unfolding and refolding his legs. JD can feel his weight moving on the bed. Rob finally answers Sheri after another moment of silence. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. It’s unlike him to keep things from us.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Sheri exclaims. 

Rob shushes her because they both think JD is still asleep. He feels a little guilty about eavesdropping, but justifies it by telling himself it’s more okay than regular eavesdropping because they’re talking about him. He’s not sure if he believe that or not, but he keeps listening anyway.

“I don’t know what we can do except ask him about it again.” Rob admits. 

“But he doesn’t want to talk about it. He’s made that much clear.” Sheri sighs, pulling her hand away from JD’s hair. 

“Well, babe, I don’t know what else to tell you then.” Rob says and JD can just picture him shrugging at Sheri. 

“Maybe you should talk to him. One on one.” Sheri sounds hopeful. 

JD hopes she’s not set on that idea. He’s not going to open up to Rob any more than he would her. He’s just not willing to risk them and their safety. 

“I can try. But if he won’t tell you, I doubt he’s going to tell me.” Rob agrees. 

“Maybe it’s a guy thing and he just doesn’t feel comfortable telling me about it.” Sheri muses thoughtfully. 

“What does that even mean, a guy thing?” Rob snickers. “If it’s physical, he’d tell you first.”

“I don’t know, Rob! You could be more helpful, I’m just saying. I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with JD and you’re not helping.” Sheri sounds like she’s getting pissed. 

Rob better tread lightly, JD thinks to himself. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I just don’t know what I can do for him that you can’t, is all I’m saying.” Rob shifts his weight again.

Sheri’s voice is muffled when she speaks again, so JD figures that Rob must be hugging her. “I just want him to be okay.”

“I know you do, baby. I do too. We’ll help him get there again. Somehow.” Rob soothes her. 

“I hope you’re right.” Sheri sniffles and JD feels bad for keeping things from them, but it’s for their own good. They just don’t know it. 

JD makes a show of stretching and pretending he’s just woken up. When he looks at Rob and Sheri, they’re all smiles, no signs of their tense conversation about him apparent. 

“Hey, Sugar. You sleep okay?” Rob asks. 

JD nods. “Yeah, I slept alright.” 

Sheri leans over and kisses his cheek. “Come on. Let’s get breakfast, hmm? I wanna go out this morning.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m feeling lazy and I don’t wanna cook.” Rob chuckles.

“Okay. I just need to shower first.” JD rolls out of bed and hurries out of the bedroom before they can suggest something like joining him in there. He closes the door firmly behind him, hoping they’ll get the hint. 

He loves them, but they’re not his Sheri and Rob and it just doesn’t feel right to have sex with them. Or any kind of super intimate contact. Sleeping in the same bed as them is pushing it, but he figures refusing to do even that would be seriously raising even more red flags than he already has for them.

He strips and goes over to the shower, turning the water on as hot as he can stand it. He looks at himself in the mirror. There’s some bruising along his ribs and chest. They curl around to his back from where Astarte had thrown him around like a ragdoll. They’re nasty and they hurt. He peels off the band-aid on his cheek carefully, eyeing the cuts there. They look a little better than they did last night. There’s no extra redness or abnormal swelling to indicate they’re infected. 

He gets into the shower, the voices from his dream echoing in his mind. He wants to know who they were and how they know him and how they were in his dream. Why is he dreaming of them? Are they other demons? One of them for sure was. It spoke Aramaic. He’s only heard demons speak that language so far. 

The first voice knew who he was and how he got here and who was responsible for it. Neither of them was Azephus, he’s sure of that. He continues musing on the subject as he washes his hair and body, rinsing everything clean. He turns off the water and steps out onto the bathmat and grabs a towel. He avoids the mirror as much as he can, thinking he looks all wrong with his missing tattoos and the wrong initials on his hip and his flat belly. 

He dries off and curses himself for not thinking to grab some clothes to change into in the bathroom. He wraps the towel around his waist and goes back into the bedroom in a cloud of steam. Neither Rob nor Sheri are in the bedroom when he comes out and he’s thankful for that. He goes to the closet and pulls out jeans and a shirt that he’s fairly sure is his. If they aren’t, well, hopefully they don’t mind him borrowing some clothes on accident. 

He gets dressed and stuffs his shoes on, tossing the towel over the towel rack in the bathroom. He heads into the kitchen, smelling coffee. 

“That was a quick shower for you.” Sheri comments when she looks up at him. 

“I’m hungry.” is the only thing he can think of to say. 

Rob nods. “Yeah, me too.” 

“Well, I’m ready if you boys are.” Sheri takes her mug over to the sink and rinses it. 

“Yeah, let’s go.” Rob gets to his feet. 

“We decided to go to that new Farmer’s Market.” Sheri says, lacing her arm through JD’s. “Is that okay?”

“Works for me.” JD lets her lead him out to the car. 

He opens the door for her and then frowns back up at the house. “Anyone see Salem?”

Rob shakes his head. “Not since last night. We left some more tuna out for him though.”

JD nods and gets into the car. “He’ll probably come back when he’s hungry then.”

Sheri wrinkles her nose. “Hopefully he comes back soon and the tuna doesn’t get left out that long.” 

“Yeah, probably.” Rob starts the SUV and pulls out of the driveway.

The ride to the market is filled with idle chatter from Rob and Sheri. They keep trying to engage JD, but he stares out the window and gives one word answers before they give up entirely and talk to each other. He couldn’t even tell you what they talked about. 

Thankfully, the ride is short and soon they’re pulling up into the parking lot for the Farmer’s Market. JD gets out of the car, blinking as Matt and John get out of a car a few spots down, waving to them. If they had told him they were coming, he had no idea. He manages a smile and hugs them both, wandering after the four of them as they head into the market. 

He needs to tell Azephus about his dream, but there’s no way to do that without John’s knowledge. He trails after John and Matt, far enough away that it doesn’t look like he’s following them when that’s exactly what he’s doing. He’s trying not to look like a complete and utter creeper. 

Finally he works up the nerve to catch John’s arm and give them a polite smile. “Need to borrow John for a minute.”

John looks confused, but nods. 

“Sure.” Matt raises an eyebrow, but agrees. 

JD tugs on John, leading him away from the crowds and tables of people. 

“Uhm, what do you need, JD?” John asks after a moment.

When they’re far enough away, JD stops and turns to John with a serious look in his eyes. “I need to talk to Azephus.”

John tenses immediately, frowning at JD. “How do you know that name?”

“Long story, not important. Please. I need to talk to him.” JD isn’t above begging to get what he needs. 

John stares at him for a long moment before glancing around and leading him further away from the market. “Is this about why you make him so uneasy?”

“I make him uneasy? He’s a demon!” JD blinks, surprise making him louder than he intends to be. 

“Shh!” John hushes him sharply, looking around again. No one is paying them any attention though.

“Sorry. Yeah, probably. Look, I’m gonna level with you here and this is going to sound insane, but I promise it’s the truth and you’re probably the only one who will believe me even the slightest bit.” JD takes a breath, letting it out slowly. “I’m not from this reality.”

John stares at him blankly. “What the fuck does that even mean?”

“It means that this…” JD waves his hand around to indicate their surroundings. “...is not the place I should be in. This is not my reality. Literally. In my reality, you and me are married and I’m like six months pregnant with your kid and this is all so fucked up. This isn’t even my body!”

John keeps staring at him. “What? There’s so many things wrong with that statement. Like so many.”

“Because I’m not supposed to be here! I’m not the right JD! I’m the wrong JD! Please. Just let me talk to Azephus. He’s supposed to be figuring out how to get me back to my reality and the other JD that’s supposed to be here back here.” JD blurts out, desperation making him feel a little out of control. 

John raises his hands, palms facing JD. “Okay. Okay. Just breathe. Calm down. You can talk to him if he’ll let you. Not promising anything though.”

JD nods, panting a little, trying to calm himself down. 

John closes his eyes, dropping his arms back down. JD watches him intently for several moments as John stands completely still. Suddenly there’s a shift in his energy and demeanor that signals that it’s Azephus now and not John. 

When he opens his eyes, they’re entirely black with an amber glow deep in their depths. He tilts his head at JD. “You wished to speak with me?”

JD relaxes and nods. “I had a dream and I think you should know about it.”

Azephus gestures for him to continue. “Go on.”

“There was this voice talking to me. It sounded like a guy and kinda familiar, but I don’t know who it was. He said he knew how I had gotten here and everything about me. He wouldn’t tell me his name. Just that I would know him, but that I didn’t yet.” JD explains, nervous energy making him pace as he talks. 

Azephus watches him impassively, arms crossed over his chest. “What else?”

“Then there was this other voice. It spoke Aramaic and was pissed off. I don’t know who that was either. It told me I was pathetic and if I thought I could take him away and tell him what to do, then I had another thing coming. That I would be begging for death by the time he was through with me. I woke up after that.” JD stops walking and runs his fingers through his hair, tugging on it in his frustration. 

Azephus considers JD for a long moment. “This won’t hurt.”

“What?” JD looks startled as Azephus steps right up to him and presses his hand against his forehead, the amber glow getting brighter. 

The dream replays in JD’s mind exactly as he had it, like he’s watching a video of it. After it’s over, Azephus steps back from him again, frowning deeply now. 

“What is it?” JD asks, rubbing the spot Azephus had touched. 

“Bálor and Mastema.” Azephus says, frown still etched on his face. 

“Who?” JD looks confused. 

“You know them as Finn Bálor, the wrestler, and Marilyn Manson, the musician.” Azephus says absently, thinking. 

JD snaps his fingers. “That’s who it was. Finn. I knew that voice sounded familiar. My dad’s a fan and he still watches WWE.” 

Azephus nods a little, still thinking. “Yes. If he and Mastema have joined together, this could be very bad for us.”

“What could they want with me? Wait - is Bálor a demon?” JD frowns. 

Azephus nods. “Yes. And I don’t know what he would want with you. Unless….”

JD looks impatient when Azephus trails off without finishing his sentence. “Unless what?”

Azephus steps close again, pressing his hand to JD’s forehead, and doesn’t answer right away. 

JD blinks as memories flash before his eyes, too fast for him to really catch what they are. He isn’t sure what Azephus is looking for or what he’s trying to figure out, but he stays still and lets Azephus do what he needs to do. 

Finally Azephus steps back again, nodding a little to himself. “Yes, that makes sense. Of course.”

“What makes sense?” JD asks, rubbing his forehead again. 

Azephus glances at him. “Things you will learn in time. I cannot tell you now because that would cause problems for you in your own reality. You must learn them when you are meant to learn them, not sooner.”

“So how did you know them if I don’t know them?” JD frowns, once more confused.

“Because I can read your future.” Azephus says. 

“Read my….well, I guess it’s not so shocking since you’re a demon and all.” JD sighs, massaging his temples. 

Azephus regards him calmly. “Yes. I have many abilities and powers.”

“Let’s start with finding Manson and Bálor and getting them to put me back where I belong.” JD grumbles, patience starting to wear thin from the stress of being in this reality. 

“Easier said than done. Manson is the one who brought you here, I can tell you that much. I’m not sure what Bálor’s role in this is. He’s more of a trickster most of the time. He enjoys being in the human world too much to truly risk his place in it.” Azephus muses, mostly to himself. 

JD startles as his phone chimes and he pulls it out of his pocket, reading the text from Rob, asking where he is. He taps out a quick reply and sighs. “I gotta go find Rob and Sheri. They’re already suspicious of my behavior lately. I don’t want to tell them anything about this. I don’t want to risk their safety.” 

Azephus nods. “That’s a good idea. I will deal with Manson and Bálor. Don’t worry, Daniel.”

JD blinks when Azephus calls him by his middle name, but doesn’t comment on it. “Easier said than done.”

Azephus gives him a small smile. “Yes, I know. You always were a bit of a worrier. In every life.”

JD’s phone chimes again and he looks at it quickly. “Let me know what’s going on.”

Azephus nods. “I will.” 

JD nods and sighs, turning and heading back into the market, looking around for Rob and Sheri. He spies Rob over in the little picnic area where people are serving ready-made food. He goes over and sits down beside Rob. “Hey.”

“Hey. Where’d you and John go?” Rob gives him a curious look. 

“I just wanted to ask him about some guitar stuff.” JD tries to look nonchalant as the lie rolls off the tip of his tongue. 

Rob nods a little. “Since when have you picked up the guitar?”

“Oh, not me. A friend of mine.” JD feels bad for lying to Rob, but it’s for the best.

Rob nods, accepting this easily. It makes JD feel worse. 

“Here. Got you some breakfast. Sheri’s gone to look at some jewelry.” Rob pushes a napkin over with two cinnamon rolls on it and a cup of coffee to go with it.

“Thanks.” JD starts on the first roll, picking it apart and eating it in chunks.

Rob shifts beside him. “So Sheri and I have noticed you’ve been acting a little odd the past couple days.”

“I’m always odd.” JD raises his eyebrows at Rob, trying to play it off. 

“This is different and I think you know that. You’ve got us worried, Sugar. You wanna talk about what’s going on?” Rob looks sincere.

JD hesitates for a long moment, really wanting to explain what’s been going on and how he’s not the right JD, not their JD, but he keeps his mouth shut because he can’t and won’t risk their safety just so he can feel better. “No, I’m good. Everything’s fine.”

Rob gives him a long, searching look. “Okay. Well, you know you can come to us with anything, right?” 

JD nods. “Yeah. Everything’s good though.”

Rob nods after another moment. “Sure.”

JD can tell that Rob doesn’t believe him at all, but he’s glad that this Rob still apparently doesn’t like confrontations because he doesn’t push the subject. JD goes back to picking at the cinnamon roll. 

“Did you find anything good here?” JD asks, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“Some art and more fruits and veggies. Some new vegan cheeses to try. Herbs and everything Sheri wanted for the kitchen.” Rob points to a couple of bags at his feet. 

JD nods. “Cool. Sounds like it was a good trip then.” 

Matt sits down across from them. “Have you seen John?”

JD blinks at Matt. “No. I assumed he went to find you when we parted ways a few minutes ago.”

Matt frowns. “No. I’ve texted him a few times and he hasn’t answered. I’ve looked all over for him twice here.”

JD shrugs, shaking his head. “I have no idea where he went. He didn’t say and I didn’t see which direction he took off in. I just thought he was going to find you.”

Rob gets to his feet, grabbing the bags. “We’ll help you look for him. I’m sure he’s got to be around here somewhere.”

JD gets up too, biting his tongue, and follows them out of the picnic area and into the market area. He guesses that John isn’t here anymore because he went to deal with their demon problem, but he can’t exactly tell Matt and Rob that. 

They catch up with Sheri and Matt tells her what he told Rob and JD. She looks worried and joins their hunting party, taking her turn at calling John. He doesn’t answer and everyone looks more worried. 

“Well, maybe he went to the bathroom?” Sheri suggests. 

“I’ll go check.” Rob heads off to the bathrooms on the other side of the market. 

Matt looks around, scanning the faces of the people around them, looking for John. “Maybe he went back to the car or something.” 

“We can go look when Rob gets back over here. Don’t wanna lose him too.” Sheri nods, chewing her lip. 

JD stays silent, pulling out his phone to send a text to John. _Where did you go? You’ve got everyone all worried about you._

He doesn’t expect a reply and doesn’t get one. The ‘delivered’ doesn’t even change to ‘read’. He jumps a little when Matt speaks to him again. 

“You’re sure you didn’t see which way he went?” He looks at JD, the worry in his eyes making JD feel worse. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t. I walked off before he did. I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. It’s not like him to just disappear and not say anything.” JD hopes it doesn’t look like he’s hiding something. He feels like it’s written all over his face. Lying has always made him uncomfortable and he hates doing it now, but he has no choice. 

Matt nods. “Yeah, you’re right. He probably just got distracted or something. Maybe saw a guitar or some other stringed instrument.”

Rob comes back, shaking his head. “Wasn’t in the bathroom.”

“We’re going to head back to the cars. See if he’s there.” Sheri says, reaching for Rob’s free hand.

JD trails after the three of them. _I’d suggest teleporting to the car. That’s where we’re headed now to find you._

He doesn’t get a reply. He doesn’t expect one. 

He is surprised by the fact that, when they get to Matt’s car, John’s bent over inside of the passenger side, seemingly looking for something. 

“There you are!” Sheri and Matt exclaim in unison. 

John pulls back and looks at them, looking faintly surprised. “Here I am.”

“We thought we’d lost you somehow.” Sheri smiles, relieved. 

“No, I just realized, after I talked with JD, that I left my phone in the car. I dropped it between the seat and the console.” John bends back into the car and manages to free his phone that JD’s pretty sure has been in his pocket the whole time until just now. 

“Success.” John shuts the car door and smiles at them, holding up his phone triumphantly. 

Matt laughs and hugs John, kissing his cheek. “You had me worried there for a hot minute.”

“Sorry, babe. Just looking for my phone.” John wraps an arm around Matt and glances at JD. 

JD doesn't know what he’s supposed to read in that glance, but he figures Azephus needs to talk to him. 

“I think it’s time to go anyway. We’re already back out here.” Rob says, digging his keys out of his pocket. 

Sheri nods and looks at JD. “Are you ready to go, babe?” 

“Yeah, that’s fine.” JD gives John and Matt a wave and follows the Zombies back to their car after they say their goodbyes too.

He gets in and the ride back home is much like the ride there. Sheri and Rob make idle chit-chat and JD stays mostly silent, staring out of the window. They give him worried looks in the rearview mirror and he pretends he can’t see them. He’s starting to get really good at pretending. 

He’s the first one out of the car when they pull in the driveway. Rob doesn’t turn off the engine and he looks curiously back at them, closing the door. He goes around to Sheri’s side when she gestures him over. 

“Sorry, babe. This is kinda last minute, but Rob and I have some errands we need to go run ourselves.” She hands him her keys. “I know you didn’t bring yours because you never do. We’ll be back later with dinner. We’ll call and check in shortly. Love you!” She smiles fondly at him. 

JD takes the keys from her and nods a little. “Okay. Have a good time! I’ll see you later.”

Rob gives him a smile and a flick of his fingers. “Bye, Sugar.” 

JD waves and heads up to the front door, letting himself in. He turns and waves again as they back out of the driveway. He closes the door and hangs up Sheri’s keys on the key rack. He pulls out his phone and texts John again. _The Zombies are off running errands if you need to come talk to me in private about our little problem._

He walks into the kitchen, looking around for Salem. His phone chimes a moment later and he looks down at it, reading John’s reply. _I will be there soon. I have more information for you and I may have figured out how to send you back._

JD relaxes and replies. _Really?? I’ll owe you one._

Salem mews loudly from around his ankles, rubbing against him affectionately. 

JD looks down at him and smiles. “Hey, kitty-kitty. There you are. Were you hiding from Rob and Sheri this morning? They won’t hurt you.”

Salem meows in response, getting up on his hind legs to press his front paws against JD’s thigh. JD chuckles and reaches down to pet him, scritching him behind his ears. 

It’s then that there’s a rapidly gathering black smoke in the living room, swirling around and then dissipating just as quickly as it appeared. JD looks frightened, frozen in place, hand still on Salem’s head. 

Azephus walks into the kitchen and JD relaxes a little. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Yes. I told you I would be here soon.” Azephus nods.

“Yeah, well, most people knock on the front door when they come over, not just appear in a cloud of ominous smoke.” JD rolls his eyes and straightens up. 

Azephus opens his mouth to reply and then spots Salem, mouth snapping shut abruptly, frowning deeply at the black cat. “Bálor. What are you doing?”

JD blinks in confusion. “Who are you talking to?”

“The cat. That’s Bálor. He can shapeshift and often takes the form of a black cat.” Azephus explains like he’s explaining the weather to JD.

JD looks even more confused, but steps away from Salem, looking down at him again. Salem sits, licking one paw daintily. He puts his paw down, tail wrapping neatly around himself and stares right at Azephus. 

JD startles, nearly stumbling backward to land on his ass, when there’s a burst of flame around Salem and, when it clears, there’s a man standing in his place. Specifically, one Finn Bálor. 

“What the fuck?!” JD presses one hand against his chest, feeling his heart race under his palm. 

Azephus and Bálor don’t even glance at him. JD didn’t really believe it was possible that Finn Bálor was a demon, but he supposes he should have, considering John 5 is one too.

“Bálor.” Azephus says, voice tight. 

Bálor smiles brightly at Azephus. “So good to see you again, Azephus.”

Azephus doesn’t return his smile. “I can’t say the same for you.”

Finn’s smile doesn’t fade. “You wound me, Azephus.”

“What are you doing here, Bálor? You’re meddling in things you shouldn’t be meddling in. You’re going to mess up his destiny for this life.” Azephus looks very unhappy.

JD stays silent, content to not have their attention on him, as they discuss him like he’s not in the room. 

“I’m not meddling! Well, not any more than you’re going to. I was just observing what Mastema was doing. He’s the one that’s meddling, thank you very much.” Finn looks mildly miffed. 

Azephus narrows his eyes at Finn for another moment before relaxing. “Are you going to help me get him back? I can do it myself, but it’ll be far easier with your help.”

Finn looks over at JD and JD resists the urge to look away from him. There’s something unnerving about how bright of a blue his eyes are. He steps closer to JD and JD is aware of how short Finn is compared to himself. He almost laughs because it’s so ridiculous of a thought when there’s a demon standing right in front of him. 

Finn reaches up and brushes his fingers across JD’s face. “Shhh, you are very anxious. It’s distracting.”

JD doesn’t flinch away from Finn like he expected to. Instead, there’s a soft warmth filling him up, starting in his chest and branching outward. He slowly relaxes, muscles losing their tension. 

Finn smiles at him. “Good. That’s better, isn’t it?”

Azephus watches them, tensing slightly in case Finn tries anything that will hurt JD.

JD nods and Finn’s smile gets brighter. He turns to Azephus. “See? I can help.”

“I never said you couldn’t. Sometimes you like JD, other times, you despise him. I can never be sure what you’ll do until you two meet for the first time.” Azephus says mildly. 

“It’s hard to hate something you’re so drawn to.” Finn turns back to look at JD. 

JD looks confused, feeling like he spends most of his time here in some state of confusion. “What do you mean?”

Azephus gives Finn a sharp look. “We cannot tell him. He doesn’t know yet. And knowing too early will cause problems for him. We must let things play out as organically as they can. Our job is to get him back to his own reality and wipe his memories of his time here.”

“Well, that’s no fun, is it?” Finn frowns at Azephus. 

JD really hopes they aren’t about to start fighting in the Zombies’ living room. He has the feeling it would be a lot messier than Azephus and Astarte fighting each other. 

“We’re not here to have fun. You know what having a human in the wrong timeline can do. Especially a human like him.” Azephus jerks his chin towards JD.

“Ah, yes. One of the special ones.” Finn nods. “I suppose it’s better that it’s him rather than a normal human. They would have gone insane already. He’s holding up pretty well.”

JD doesn’t feel like he’s holding up well at all. He feels like he’s two steps away from losing his shit completely. He’s been anxious and on edge ever since he realized he woke up in the wrong bed and wasn’t pregnant. He constantly feels like he’s steps away from having a nervous breakdown because everything is just so wrong here. He feels so out of place. 

He shakes his head a little bit and tries to refocus on whatever Finn and Azephus are talking about. 

“How are we going to get him here?” Finn asks. 

“I’m not sure yet. If you didn’t send Astarte, then it must have been him. He will come looking for her soon enough, if he hasn’t already. She was meant to kill JD. So, not only did he send JD into the wrong timeline, he wants him dead as well. I’m not sure what one has to do with the other, but we don’t really need to know. We just need to keep him alive and get him back to his own timeline.” Azephus explains, looking over at JD. 

JD can feel his anxiety mounting again at the mention of Manson or Mastema or whatever the fuck his name is wanting him dead. The icy fingers of panic stroke along the back of his neck and he tenses, breathing coming in short, sharp gasps.

Finn tsks. “Look what you did. He’s gone all panicky on us now. I had him all nice and relaxed. You ruined my work.”

“Well, it needed to be said. I can’t help that.” Azephus does look slightly apologetic though. 

Finn shakes his head at Azephus and reaches out to touch JD’s forehead again, taking away his anxiety and panic. The same warmth from before fills him up and he relaxes, the tension bleeding out of his muscles again. 

“Better?” Finn asks, giving him a cheerful smile. 

JD nods, wrapping his arms loosely around his torso. There’s something a little unnerving about Finn and his ability to manipulate his emotions like this. It’s come in handy now, but it still unnerves JD that Finn can just change how he’s feeling whenever he wants. 

Finn chuckles at him. “I can’t force you to feel things you don’t want to. Or do things you don’t want to. Because you’re special. I just….enhance certain feelings for you that are already there or that you want to be there. I can’t create a feeling out of nothing for you.”

JD hesitates, but then asks. “But you can for other people?”

Something flashes in Finn’s eyes. “Yes, I can.”

JD resists the urge to take a step back. “But not me? Why not me?”

“No, not you. Because you’re special. I said that already.” Finn shrugs. 

“What does that mean? I’m special? I don’t understand.” JD frowns. He doesn’t understand a lot here.

Finn opens his mouth to reply, but Azephus cuts him off sharply. “That’s enough, Bálor. Do not say another word about it to him.”

“You’ll find out in due time.” Finn winks at JD. 

“So what happens now?” JD asks, looking between Azephus and Finn. 

“I suppose the easiest thing would be to try and send you back. We can do the ritual and the spell between the two of us. I doubt we’ll get through it because I’m sure Mastema will interrupt it. An expense of that much dark magic and energy will draw his attention.” Azephus answers, templing his fingers under his chin for a moment as he thinks.

“What are we going to do about him?” Finn asks, rocking on the balls of his feet. 

“We can’t kill him. But we can trap him and send him back to Hell for a little while.” Azephus says after a beat. 

Finn nods. “Works for me. I never really liked him to begin with.”

“You never do.” Azephus says. 

“I know.” Finn grins, a slightly more sadistic edge to it now.

JD looks between them as they talk, still hugging himself, just relieved to have a possible way home now. 

“All we have to do is keep JD alive and then send him home when we’re done with Mastema.” Azephus nods to himself. 

“Easier said than done, but I’m sure we’ll manage.” Finn shrugs. 

“We don’t really have a choice. He cannot die.” Azephus narrows his eyes at Finn, wanting him to take this seriously. 

“He won’t die. Might be a little banged up by the end of it, but he won’t die. Don’t be so dramatic. We’ll get him where he needs to be.” Finn gives JD a conspiratorial grin.

JD manages a weak smile back at Finn, wondering how all of this is going to play out. “I’d like to be banged up as little as possible. Thanks.” 

Finn laughs. “Well, it’s not the body you’ll be sent back in, but we’ll do our best. No promises though. Mastema is a sneaky one and he’s quick too.”

“Oh. Great. Fun.” JD mumbles, squeezing his middle harder. 

“We’ll keep you safe.” Azephus says, looking much more serious than Finn. 

“So what’s the actual plan?” Finn asks, turning back to Azephus. 

“It needs to be done as soon as possible. However, I still need some items for the ritual. The best place to carry this out is in JD’s old house. It’s empty and we can cast a concealment spell around it to keep prying eyes away.” Azephus crosses his arms over his chest.

Finn nods. “Can you get what you need by tonight?” 

Azephus considers this, tilting his head in thought. “I should be able to, yes. I have most of it already. The rest shouldn’t be too hard to acquire.”

“Good. I’ll go keep an eye on Mastema then.” Finn smiles again, that same sadistic edge curling it. 

“Don’t get caught. Don’t give him any hint that you know what’s going on.” Azephus warns. 

“You saw his dream.” Finn nods to JD. “He already knows that I know. But maybe he’ll believe that I want to help him.” 

“I don’t know how wise that is.” Azephus frowns, looking troubled. 

Finn smirks at him. “Don’t worry. I’m a great liar. He won’t know any different than what I tell him.”

Azephus hesitates, but then nods. “Fine. Do what you feel you must do. Just keep in mind that you have to protect JD while doing it.”

Finn looks over at JD and nods. “You’ll be fine. I won’t let you die. Or I’ll do my best to stop that from happening.”

JD doesn’t feel reassured in the slightest. “Thanks.”

“I’ll see you both later.” Finn snaps his fingers and disappears in a burst of flame that makes JD jump nearly out of his skin.

Azephus looks at JD. “Are you sure you’re willing to risk your life to go back?”

JD nods without hesitation. “I don’t belong here and I don’t want to be here anymore. I feel like I’m constantly on the verge of going crazy and it’s awful. I hate it here. I miss John. My John.”

Azephus considers this and then nods. “Very well. I will go and collect the items I need to carry out the ritual. I will let you know when we’re ready for you to come to the house.”

“How...how sure of this are you? Of it working?” JD asks, twisting the hem of his shirt between his fingers.

“The spell and the ritual will work. Of that, I have no doubts. It’s Mastema who is the wild card. He’s unpredictable and dangerous. He hates you and wants you dead and he can be very singularly focused when he wants something like this.” Azephus explains. 

“But why me? What did I do? Is this because of that fight with him in my reality? Where he accidentally killed John?” JD frowns deeply. “Because I didn’t mean for that to happen. It was awful.”

Azephus tilts his head. “What do you mean?” 

“You know….I could feel it when he died….deep down in my soul…...like something breaking inside of me….” JD chokes up, overwhelmed with the memory.

Azephus nods slowly. “Soulmates don’t work like that here. There’s no tangible feeling of being someone’s soulmate. You wouldn’t feel that here.” 

“But then I wouldn’t feel our bond, the buzzing, here either.” JD’s frown gets deeper. 

“Well, you wouldn’t anyway because you and John are not soulmates in this reality. But no, you wouldn’t feel that buzzing with someone else either. There’s nothing like that here.” Azephus looks intrigued by the information.

“That’s terrible. I want to go back. I want to - no, I need to feel that again. I feel all wrong without it.” JD trembles, tears blurring his vision. 

“You humans are always so sentimental.” Azephus shakes his head a little, not understanding. 

“So are you. Well, the version of you that I know.” JD mutters, swiping at his eyes. 

“I’ve held onto you for this long. I must be.” Azephus gives JD a faint smile. “But to answer your question, yes. Mastema wants you dead because you interfered with him and his plans. You stood up to him and caused him to make a mistake he didn’t want to make. So yes, in his mind, that is enough justification to kill you because he hates humans. Loves their world and all its pleasures, but hates them.”

JD isn’t entirely sure that’s a compliment, but he lets it go. “Great. Sounds like a real winner there.” He sighs. “I’m sure the Zombies will be back soon.”

Azephus nods. “Yes. I’m going to get the items I need and then I will let you know when it’s time.”

“Okay. Good luck?” JD asks, unsure of what to say. 

Azephus snickers. “I don’t need luck, Daniel.”

JD tries to answer, but Azephus disappears in a swirling cloud of black smoke, and he sighs instead, wondering if this is going to be as terrible as it sounds. It doesn’t matter because he’s going to do it anyway, but he’d like to be a little prepared for what’s coming.

He goes to make himself a cup of coffee because coffee makes everything better. The front door opens and he hears Rob and Sheri’s voices in the living room. Rob appears in the kitchen after a moment and smiles at him. “Hey, Sugar.”

JD pours creamer into his mug, glancing over at Rob with a small smile. “Hey. Did you get everything done? What did you need to do anyway?”

“Oh, just some errands. Yeah, we got everything done. Everything’s out of the way now.” Rob comes over to him and wraps his arms around JD’s waist. 

JD works to keep himself relaxed, still not completely used to displays of affection from Rob, considering the state of their own relationship back in his reality. He can’t let on that anything is wrong here though. “That’s good.”

“What about you? What did you do while we were gone?” Rob dips his head and nuzzles JD’s neck softly. 

JD shivers a little. “I found Salem. He did eat the tuna, so I’m sure Sheri will be happy about that.”

“Oh yeah?” Rob pulls back and looks around for the black cat. “Where is the little bugger?”

“He disappeared again. I think he’s one of those cats that likes to roam and just comes home when he feels like it. Or when he gets hungry.” JD spoons sugar into his mug and stirs it, testing the sweetness level and finding it acceptable. 

“Oh. That’s probably for the best. I don’t know how Godzilla would react to having a cat around all the time.” Rob chuckles. 

JD nods. “Right.” 

Rob looks at JD as he leans back against the counter, drinking his coffee. “Are you okay, Sugar? I know I’ve asked you that a lot, but something really seems off. And if you wanna talk about it, well, I’d suggest Sheri first, but you can come to me too if you need. I’m here for you just as much as she is.” 

The admission takes JD off-guard for a moment because the Rob he knows doesn’t like feelings or talk of feelings or confrontations. This Rob doesn’t seem to either, but he knows that his Rob would have made the same effort and has before in the past in the same hesitating fashion. He appreciates the effort that Rob makes and the fact that he tries his best. 

JD gives him another smile, this one a little bigger. “I know you are. Both of you are. It’s just not something I’m ready to talk about yet.” Or ever, but he doesn’t add that part.

“But there is something going on?” Rob’s forehead creases with worry. 

JD hesitates, wondering how to word this. “There is something going on, but it’s not about us. It’s something I have to handle on my own. It’s okay. I’ve got it taken care of. I will come to you if I need your help though. I promise.”

Rob looks like he wants to press the issues, but he doesn’t. “Okay, Sugar.”

“So this is where everyone went off to.” Sheri comes in the kitchen, smiling brightly at them. She kisses Rob’s cheek and then JD’s. 

“Yep, here we are.” JD drinks the last of his coffee and turns to rinse his mug. 

Sheri shoots Rob a curious look while JD has his back turned and Rob shakes his head.

Sheri nods and sits down at the island. “Well, what else is on the agenda for today, loves?”

JD doesn’t answer since all his current plans involve demons and rituals and he doesn’t think that’s a good way to spend the afternoon, but he doesn’t really have a choice. 

Rob shrugs. “We can go out to dinner later.” 

Sheri nods with another smile. “That sounds good to me. JD, what do you think?”

“Uhm, I can’t. I have some plans already for later.” JD fiddles with the hem of his shirt.

“Oh. What are you going to do?” Sheri asks curiously. 

JD shifts his weight a little from foot to foot. “Just meeting up with some friends. Nothing big.” 

Sheri nods slowly, a look of worry in her eyes, but she doesn’t push the topic either, sensing JD’s discomfort. “Okay, well, I hope you have a good time.”

“Yeah. Maybe you and Rob can go out and have date night together or something.” JD suggests, trying to shift their attention off of him and his plans. 

It works and Sheri turns to Rob with a smile. “That sounds great, doesn’t it?”

Rob nods. “Sure. You pick where you wanna go.” 

“Okay. It’s been awhile since it’s been just the two of us.” She looks over at JD. “Not that I mean we don’t enjoy having you around, babe. I’m sorry.”

JD shakes his head. “I know. I get it. You need one on one time too. Can’t always be all three of us.” 

She relaxes. “Right. Thanks for understanding.”

JD smiles at her. “Of course. I know you two love me too. But three is a crowd sometimes.”

“Most of the time, it’s perfect.” Sheri smiles again, looking at Rob and then JD with love in her eyes. 

Rob chuckles, reaching across the island to take Sheri’s hand. “Very true.”

JD smiles, feeling a little awkward and out of place because they aren’t his Rob and Sheri and he isn’t their JD. This isn’t where he’s meant to be and he feels awful for lying to them and deceiving them, but he doesn’t see any other way. Hopefully, everything will be back to normal after tonight anyway. He’ll be in his reality and the JD that belongs here will be back here. He pulls out his phone and texts Dave, falling back on old instincts. _I figured out how I got here._

A moment later, his phone chimes. _Oh yeah? How? And can you get back home?_

_Marilyn Manson is a demon and he wants me dead and sent me here to kill me because I fucked up some plan of his in my reality, so he hates me now. Maybe. John has a plan, so here’s hoping it works._

_I always suspected there was something weird going on with Manson. He’s a weird fucking dude and not in a good way. Do you need my help?_

_Yeah, I don’t like him either. No, at least not right now. John thinks he can do it._

_Okay. Well, let me know if you need any help. Everything will work out. Just gotta keep having faith._

_Thanks._

_No problem._

JD puts his phone back in his pocket. Rob and Sheri are discussing dinner plans and where to go out to. He tunes them out, opening Twitter and scrolling before closing it, not wanting to know what’s different in this world. 

He startles when his phone chimes again. John’s name is on the notification this time. _There’s been a slight change of plans._

_Why? What happened?_

_Nothing. But I’m going to have to send you back in time too. To the night this happened because he’s been interacting with your world and you with his. You might have changed too much in each other’s realities. Not to mention, there’s too many people whose memories I’d have to erase and I can’t do that in your reality._

_Are you sure you can do that?_

_Yes, but it’s not going to be easy. Between Bálor and I, we have enough power to do it. It’ll just take getting rid of Mastema quickly and as easily as possible. Sending someone back in time uses up a lot of power._

_Do you need me to do anything?_

_You can head to the house now if you want. I dropped off some supplies there already. You can start setting up for the ritual._

_Okay. I’ll go over there now._

_See you soon._

JD pushes his phone back into his pocket and looks over at Sheri and Rob. “Hey, there’s been a bit of a change of plans. I’m gonna go meet my friends now instead of later. I’ll see you guys tonight.”

Sheri looks over at him. “Oh. Okay. Have fun, dear!”

Rob nods and gives him a little wave as JD leaves the kitchen, heading out of the house, calling over his shoulder. “Yeah, see you later!”

The drive to his house is too fast and too slow all at the same time. He pulls into the driveway and gets out, walking up to the front door. He twists the knob and finds it unlocked, stepping in hesitantly. 

Finn looks over at him when he comes into the living room. “Eager to get started?”

JD startles when Finn speaks. “Something like that. John sent me over.”

“Did he tell you about the change in plans?” Finn asks, moving to sit on his knees. He digs in a bag beside him and takes out a box of white chalk. 

“Yeah, that you two have to send me back in time.” JD nods, watching as Finn starts to draw symbols on the wood floor. 

“Yeah. It makes sense. Can’t risk that much change in either reality or anyone remembering that this happened in the first place.” Finn mumbles absently, concentrating on his drawings. 

“Right. I get it. I’m glad. I don’t want to remember this either.” JD watches as Finn moves around, being very particular about his placement of these symbols. 

“Can’t say I blame you there.” Finn draws a circle along the inside of the symbols, connecting them.

“What is that?” JD asks as Finn draws a pentagram on the floor. 

“A pentagram.” Finn answers, putting the chalk up and digging out some other items from the bag. 

“I can see that. What do those symbols mean?” JD asks. 

Finn points to the top of the pentagram. “Spirit or soul.” He moves around the pentagram from left to right. “Air, Earth, Fire, Water.” 

“The elements? I thought that was a Wiccan thing.” JD frowns in confusion. 

“Where do you think the Wiccans got it from? Everything has to be in balance. I’m just glad we don’t have to find a Light and a Dark soul.”

“Why don’t you have to find one?” JD asks, watching Finn make adjustments to the circle here and there. 

Finn glances up at JD contemplatively. “Can’t tell you. You don’t know this yet. But you will when you get back to your own reality. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”

JD frowns deeply. “Are you sure this is going to work?” 

Finn nods, opening his mouth to speak and then getting cut off abruptly as a bolt of lightning hits the ground next to JD, knocking him down. 

Manson stands there, glaring down at JD. “Stupid fuckin’ human. Can’t even die properly when I need you to.” 

JD yelps, scrambling to get up, backing away from Manson. Manson moves faster, seizing him by his neck. “I guess it’s true what they say. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” 

Finn rushes towards Manson, fire crackling at his fingertips. “Put him down, Mastema!” 

Manson flicks Finn a disinterested glance. “Bálor. Leave this alone. It doesn’t concern you and you don’t want to be on the wrong side here, do you?”

“I’m not on the wrong side. Put him down and you can get out of this alive and free.” Finn growls, the fire growing bigger between his hands.

JD claws desperately at Manson’s wrist, his airway slowly being cut off. He gasps and chokes, struggling to breathe, face turning redder and redder. Panic grips him even harder than Manson does and he struggles against Manson, kicking out at him. Manson tightens his grip more, lifting him easily from the ground. 

JD sees spots of black dancing in his peripheral vision, trying to get some air into his lungs. He feels himself growing weaker and weaker, kicks slowing down, just holding onto Manson’s wrist instead of digging his nails into him at this point. 

Manson laughs cruelly. “Look at him. He’s so pathetic. I don’t know how Azephus ever put up with him, much less loved him.” 

Finn weighs his options quickly, knowing that Manson will use JD as a human shield if he tries to throw a fireball at him and he can’t risk hurting JD. He can try to force Manson to let JD go through telekinesis, but that would be a battle of wills he doesn’t have time for with the shade of purple JD is currently turning. If he tries to teleport JD away, Manson will just come with them since he’s still holding onto JD. 

“I want him dead! He will perish at my hands. I shouldn’t have even bothered with sending Astarte to do my job. He thinks he can just come in and tell me to stay away from Azephus? Ha! He’s a human! A weak, pathetic human! No mortal is going to order me around! He thinks he’s worthy of Azephus, of having Azephus all to himself? He’s got another thing coming. And you’d do well to stay away from him too, Bálor. He will bring you nothing but trouble. I don’t care what prophecy he’s here to fulfill or what war killing him will bring. I don’t care about any of it. I want him dead!” Manson rants, strangling JD as he goes on and on. 

JD sags in his grip, the black overtaking his vision. He can barely hear Manson’s insane ravings over the sound of blood pounding in his ears. His fingers slip from Manson’s wrist, his body going limp, dangling from Manson’s grip on him. He can feel himself losing consciousness and he wonders if this is how he dies. He’s going to die here in the wrong reality and never get to meet his daughter, never get to see John again or anyone else that he loves. He’d cry if he could draw a breath. 

A huge shockwave of energy slams into Manson, forcing him backwards and knocking JD free of his grip. JD barely has the presence of mind left to push himself further away from Manson as much as he can. Manson shrieks in rage, lunging for JD again, but Finn is there, fire slamming into Manson’s chest. Manson howls in pain, pushing back with lightning against Finn’s fire. 

Azephus appears in a cloud of black smoke, rage written across his face. He starts chanting in Aramaic, another black cloud growing between his hands. 

Manson looks at Azephus and scowls. “You think that will stop me?” 

Azephus ignores him, continuing to chant as the cloud getting bigger and bigger. 

Finn pushes harder against Manson’s lightning with his fire, grunting with the effort. JD presses himself back against the far wall, coughing. Tears stream down his face as he rubs at his throat, trying to breathe. 

“Hurry up, Azephus!” Finn grunts, trying to hold Manson back. 

Azephus lets the cloud continue to expand, growing bigger and bigger as he chants, increasing in volume. The cloud surrounds them, filling the room. Manson howls in rage again, his focus torn between forcing Finn back and resisting the the pull of the cloud as it tries to pull him down into the darkness. 

“What are you doing to me, Azephus?” Manson screams. 

“Sending you back to Hell where you fuckin’ belong!” Finn shouts back at Manson, pushing harder with his fire, sending more strength into it. 

JD watches, utterly terrified, as the cloud consumes Manson, his shrieks becoming muffled and softer as the cloud shrinks back down just as quickly as it had grown under Azephus’ chanting. Finally it’s gone, taking Manson with it wherever it went. Finn shakes out his hands, sighing heavily. 

“I’d forgotten how powerful he is.” Finn admits, moving to check on the circle. 

Azephus nods, going over to JD, looking him over quickly. “Are you okay?” 

JD’s voice is hoarse when he answers. “I’m alive.”

Azephus cracks a small smile. “That you are.” He pulls JD to his feet. “The rest will be much easier, I assure you.”

JD massages his throat, letting Azephus move him into the center of the circle. “This is the easy part.”

“Where is he?” JD croaks. 

“Mastema? He’s back in Hell, most likely receiving his punishment from the Elders.” Azephus says with a shrug as if it’s no big deal he’s sent someone to Hell. 

“Don’t worry about it. They’ll go easy on him. They always do. Mastema has always been a favorite.” Finn straightens up and adjusts JD’s position in the center of the pentagram. 

“I’m not sure I want them to take it easy on him. What’s stopping him from coming back to finish the job?” JD asks, fear in his eyes. 

“Trust me, he won’t. Doing so would bring about a war that the Elders do not want and will do anything to prevent. He won’t be coming after you again.” Azephus assures him. 

JD nods jerkily, trying to believe Azephus, praying to every deity he can think of that he’s right.

“We’re going to get you home. Replace you with the right JD.” Finn smiles at him, making a few final markings around the symbols. 

Azephus stands back around the outer circle, picking up a small knife JD hadn’t noticed before. Finn stands next to him and holds out his arm, letting Azephus slice him, blood spilling down to the floor. Finn waits until Azephus has cut his own arm too before walking counterclockwise around the circle. Azephus walks clockwise, chanting again in Aramaic with Finn as the blood spills around the circle. They meet again in their original spot and Finn snaps, making bandages appear on their arms. 

Azephus picks up another bottle of a clear liquid and JD watches as he pours the liquid on top of the blood. He empties the bottle and Finn snaps, lighting it on fire. JD startles as the flames surround him and he looks scared again, wondering if this was a mistake and if he’s about to die. Again. 

Finn picks up a bundle of herbs and lights them on fire as well, walking around the circle of fire as they smoke, smudging the circle with it. They keep chanting and JD wishes he could understand what they’re saying, but he has no idea and that only makes him even more nervous. 

Suddenly the world seems to tilt and jerk before his eyes and he yelps, going down to his knees, bracing himself on the ground. The fire gets hotter and brighter around him, the sweet smoke from the herbs filling his lungs until he can’t breathe again. The heavy metallic scent of the blood coats his tongue, tasting like pennies. He squeezes his eyes shut, tears spilling from under his lashes, convinced this is how he dies. 

The world seems to spin around him, faster and faster, until it abruptly stops and everything goes black. 

Slowly, JD regains consciousness. He blinks his eyes open, staring up at his familiar ceiling. The fan turns slowly and he yawns, stretching. A moment later, he smiles, feeling Winter move and stretch inside of his belly. 

John stirs next to him and JD turns onto his side, snuggling into him. There’s something poking at the back of his mind, but he ignores it, figuring it to be just a dream. He’s always having weird dreams that he half-remembers. 

John opens his eyes and stares at him for a moment before breaking into a brilliant smile, pulling JD close, holding him tightly. “Oh my….you’re okay!”

JD looks confused, but cuddles into John more. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

John presses kisses to JD’s face. “Nothing. No reason. Must have had a bad dream or something.”

JD shrugs. “Yeah, probably. I had one, but I can’t remember it. You were in it though.” He ponders this for a moment before John is kissing him again with more purpose this time. He shivers as John’s hands stroke over his skin and he arches into John’s touch. 

“You wanna….?” John asks, barely breaking the kiss, staying close to JD. 

JD nods a little, breathing in the same air as John. His cock twitches and starts to harden against John. John gently rolls JD onto his back, holding himself up over JD, kissing him again. There’s something a little different about John’s kisses this morning, something a little more intense, a little more intimate. JD’s not complaining about it though. He just worries about John’s dream, hoping he’s okay from it. 

John kisses his way down JD’s neck, making marks here and there until he nips at JD’s collarbone. JD moans, hands tracing over the muscles in John’s back as John moves over him. John’s mouth finds one of his nipples and he cries out softly at the burst of pleasure that makes his cock throb hard. John gives the other nipple the same treatment and then moves down onto JD’s belly. His kisses soften as he feels Winter kicking at his lips. His hands stroke the soft, warm skin of JD’s belly gently. 

JD shivers under John’s soft touches as John moves further down, one hand curling around the base of JD’s cock as his mouth slides over the tip of it. JD’s hands fist in the blanket, twisting it as John’s tongue teases the head of his cock. The pleasure burns through him and he writhes under John’s mouth. 

John holds out his hand and brings the lube to him with telekinesis, catching it and slicking his fingers with it. He nudges JD’s thighs apart and strokes his fingers over his entrance, feeling it twitch open for him in anticipation. He pushes two fingers inside of JD, curling them against his sweet spot, making JD jolt against him with a loud moan of pleasure. 

John sucks harder on JD’s cock, taking him in deeper, swallowing around the head of his cock every time it touches the back of his throat. He bobs his head faster on JD’s cock, working him open for his cock. JD rocks his hips down on John’s fingers and then up into his mouth as John pushes him further to the edge. 

John pushes a burst of energy through his fingers, taking JD’s cock all the way down his throat again, swallowing around him. JD arches up from the bed with a choked scream of pleasure, his orgasm slams into him hard and he spills himself down John’s throat. 

John makes a sound of pleasure and swallows down everything JD gives him, still working his fingers in and out of him. He thrusts another finger into JD and stretches him open more, softening his mouth around JD’s cock, letting him ride out the waves of pleasure, rocking softly against his face.

When JD sinks down into the bed, John pulls his mouth off of his cock, looking up at him with dark eyes, a flash of amber deep in their depths. He keeps stretching JD open for his cock, adding the fourth finger after a moment, splaying his fingers out inside of JD. 

JD moans, trembling under John as he keeps working him open. “Please….please….”

John pants, his own cock throbbing hard against the bed as he presses his hips against the sheets. “Yeah? You ready for me, Tigger?”

There’s something about the way John calls him Tigger that makes some kind of faint memory skate over his mind, but it’s gone, lost in an intense burst of pleasure as John’s fingers stroke over his sweet spot again. “Yes, please!” 

John nods and pulls his fingers out of JD, grabbing the lube again. He slicks his cock up, moaning shakily at his own touch, so amped up. He lays down beside JD, nudging him over onto his side, pressing against his back. He pushes his top leg forward, opening JD up to him. He grips the base of his cock and rubs the head of it against JD’s hole, sliding through the slickness there. They both moan in unison as John slides his cock into JD. 

John stills for a long moment, letting JD adjust to his size. He caresses JD’s side softly as he starts to move inside of him. He sets up a gentle, slow pace that leaves them both panting and moaning. He drops his hand down from JD’s hip and curls it around his cock, stroking it in time with the movement of their hips. 

JD trembles against John, rocking back into him as the buzzing between them gets even more intense, fueling the fire of the pleasure washing over them. John’s rhythm falls apart as he pushes harder and faster into JD, chasing his own orgasm. JD shudders, trying to hold back his orgasm, wanting this to last a little longer before his orgasm slams into him and he comes over John’s working fingers. John cries out as JD’s muscles clamp down around his cock and he comes with JD, filling him up with his own release.

JD whimpers softly at the rush of slick heat inside of him as John comes. He relaxes against the bed as the aftershocks ruin him a little more. John presses clumsy kisses to JD’s shoulders, the aftershocks giving way to the afterglow that settles over them after another moment passes. He brings his hand up and licks JD’s come off of it. 

“I love you, Tigger.” John whispers, gathering JD up, holding him tightly against himself, staying inside of him.

JD hums softly. “I love you too.”

“Let’s go back to sleep, hmm?” John holds JD close to him.

JD nods, relaxing against John. “Yeah.”

John pets JD softly, feeling him drift off to sleep against him. He keeps JD close to himself, even as he starts to fall asleep, not wanting to let him go again. He remembers, even though JD doesn’t. 

He can’t risk anything else happening to him.

He won’t let anything else happen to him.


End file.
